Twelve  Select 
SERMONS, 


XS  B  R  A  ft  y^ 

OF  THK 

UNIVERSITY 


iCALIFOl 


By  D.  L.  MOODY. 


PREACH  THE  WORD," 


FLEMING    H.    REVELL, 


CHICAGO : 
148  and  150  Madison  St. 


NEW   YORK: 

148  and  150  Nassau  St. 


Publisher  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


Alls' 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884, 

By  F.  H.  REVELL, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


ALL  EIGHTS  RESERVED. 


PREFACE 


In  compliance  with  the  wish  of  many  friends  I 
have  consented  to  the  publication  of  the  following 

Addresses. 

I  deeply  feel  how  partially  and  insufficiently  the 
Glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God  is  represented 
in  them,  but  I  lay  them  at  the  Master's  feet,  pray- 
ing, and  asking  all  mv  Christian  friends  to  pray, 
that  they  rnav  ce  tne  means  in  their  primed  form 
of  winning  more  souls  to  Christ  than  they  have 
been  when  spoken. 


{?)£&**$ 


79/4  2- 


I. 
"WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

GENESIS  III.  9w 


The  very  first  thing  that  happened  after  the  news  reached  heaven 
of  the  fall  of  man,  was  that  God  came  straight  down  to  s«ek  out 
the  lost  one.  As  He  walks  through  the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the 
day,  you  can  hear  Him  calling  "Adam!  Adam!  Where  art 
thou  ?  "  It  was  the  voice  of  grace,  of  mercy,  and  of  love.  Adam 
ought  to  have  taken  the  seeker's  place,  for  he  was  the  transgressor. 
He  had  fallen,  and  .he  ought  to  have  gone  up  and  down  Eden 
crying,  "My  God!  my  God!  where  art  Thou?"  But  God 
left  heaven  to  grope  through  the  dark  world  for  the  rebel  who 
had  fallen — not  to  hurl  him  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  but  to  plan 
him  an  escape  from  the  misery  of  his  sin.  And  He  finds  him — 
where  ?  Hiding  from  his  Creator  among  the  bushes  of  the  garden. 
The  moment  a  man  is  out  of  communion  with  God,  even  the 
professed  child  of  God,  he  wants  to  hide  away  from  Him.  When 
God  left  Adam  in  the  garden,  he  was  in  communion  with  his 
Creator,  and  God  talked  with  him  j  but  now  that  he  has  fallen,  he 
has  no  desire  to  see  his  Creator,  he  has  lost  communion  with  his 
God.  He  cannot  bear  to  see  Him,  even  to  think  of  Him,  and  he 
runs  to  hide  from  God.  But  to  his  hiding-place  his  Maker  follows 
him.     "  Where  art  thou,  Adam  ?     Where  art  thou  ?  " 

Six  thousand  years  have  passed  away,  and  this  text  has  come 
rolling  down  the  ages.  I  doubt  whether  there  has  been  any  one  of 
Adam's  sons  who  has  not  heard  it  at  some  period  or  other  of  his 
life — sometimes  in  the  midnight  hour  stealing  over  him — <l  Where 
am  I  ?     Who  am  I  ?     Where  am  I  going  ?  and  what  is  going  to 

i 


2  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

be  the  end  of  this  ?  "  I  think  it  is  well  for  a  man  to-  pause  and  ask 
himself  that  question.  I  would  have  you  ask  it,  little  boy  ;  and 
you,  little  girl ;  and  you,  old  man  with  locks  turning  grey,  and  eyes 
growing  dim,  and  natural  force  abating,  you  who  will  soon  be  in 
another  world.  I  do  not  ask  you  where  you  are  in  the  sight  of  your 
neighbours  j  I  do  not  ask  you  where  you  are  in  the  sight  of 
your  friends  ;  I  do  not  ask  you  where  you  are  in  the  sight  of  the 
community  in  which  you  live.  It  is  of  very  little  account  where 
we  are  in  the  sight  of  one  another,  it  is  of  very  little  account  what 
men  think  of  us  j  but  it  is  of  vast  importance  what  God  thinks  of 
us — it  is  of  vast  importance  to  know  where  men  are  in  the  sight  of 
God ;  and  that  is  the  question  now.  Am  I  in  communion  with 
my  Creator,  or  out  of  communion  ?  If  I  am  out  of  communion, 
there  is  no  peace,  no  joy,  no  happiness.  No  man  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  who  was  out  of  communion  with  his  Creator,  ever  knew 
what  peace,  and  joy,  and  happiness,  and  true  comfort  are.  He  is 
a  foreigner  to  it.  But  when  we  are  in  communion  with  God, 
there  is  light  all  around  our  path.  So  ask  yourselves  this 
question.  Do  not  think  I  am  preaching  to  your  neighbours,  but 
remember  I  am  trying  to  speak  to  you,  to  every  one  of  you  as 
if  you  were  alone.  It  was  the  first  question  put  to  man  after  his 
fall,  and  it  was  a  very  small  audience  that  God  had — Adam  and 
his  wife.  But  God  was  the  preacher  ;  and  although  they  tried  to 
hide^  the  words  came  home  to  them.  Let  them  come  home  to 
you  now.  You  may  think  that  your  life  is  hid,  that  God  does  not 
know  anything  about  you.  But  He  knows  our  lives  a  great  deal 
better  than  we  do  ;  and  his  eye  has  been  bent  upon  us  from  our 
earliest  childhood  until  now. 

"Where  art  thou?  "  I  should  like  to  divide  my  audience  into 
three  classes — the  professed  Christians,  the  Backsliders,  and  the 
Ungodly. 

First,  I  would  like  to  ask  the  professors  this  question,  or 
rather  let  God  ask  it — Where  art  thou  ?  What  is  my  position  in 
the  church,  and  among  my  circle  of  acquaintance  ?  Do  my  friends 
know  me  to  be,  out  and  out,  on  the  Lord's  side  ?  You  may  have 
been  a  professing  Christian  for  twenty  years,  perhaps  thirty,  perhaps 
forty  years.     Well,  where  are  you  to-night?      Are  you  making 


"WHERE  ART  THOU?"  3 

progress  towards  heaven  ?  And  can  you  give  a  reason  for  the  hope 
that  is  within  you  ?  Suppose  I  were  to  ask  those  who  are  really 
Christians  here  to  rise,  would  you  be  ashamed  to  stand  up  ?  Sup- 
pose I  should  ask  every  professed  child  of  God  here,  "  If  you  should 
be  cut  down  by  the  hand  of  death,  have  you  good  reason  to  believe 
you  would  be  saved  ?  "  Would  you  be  willing  to  stand  up  before 
God  and  man,  and  say  that  you  have  good  reason  to  believe  you 
are  passed  from  death  unto  life  ?  Or  would  you  be  ashamed  ? 
Run  your  mind  back  over  the  past  years :  would  it  be  consistent 
for  you  to  say,  "lama  Christian  ;"  and  would  your  life  correspond 
with  your  profession  ?  It  is  not  what  we  say  so  much  as  how  we 
live.  Actions  speak  louder  than  words.  Do  your  shopmates  know 
that  you  are  a  Christian  ?  Do  your  family  know  ?  Do  they  know 
you  to  be  out  and  out  on  the  Lord's  side  ?  Let  every  professed 
Christian  ask,  Where  am  I  in  the  sight  of  God  ?  Is  my  heart 
loyal  to  the  King  of  heaven  ?  Is  my  life  here  as  it  should  be  in  the 
community  I  live  in  ?  Am  I  a  light  in  this  dark  world  ?  Christ 
says,  "  Ye  are  My  witnesses."  Christ  was  the  Light  of  the  world, 
and  the  world  would  not  have  the  true  Light ;  the  world  rose  up 
and  put  out  the  Light,  and  now  Christ  says,  "  I  leave  you  down 
here  to  testify  of  Me ;  I  leave  you  down  here  as  My  witnesses." 
That  is  what  the  apostle  meant  when  he  said  that  Christians  are  to 
be  living  epistles,  known  and  read  of  all  men.  Then,  am  I 
standing  up  for  Jesus  as  I  should  in  this  dark  world  ?  If  a  man  is 
for  God,  let  him  say  so.  If  a  man  is  for  God,  let  him  come  out 
and  be  on  God's  side ;  and  if  he  is  for  the  world,  let  him  be  in  the 
world.  This  serving  God  and  the  world  at  the  same  time — this 
being  on  both  sides  at  the  same  time — is  just  the  curse  of 
Christianity  at  the  present  time.  It  retards  the  progress  of 
Christianity  more  than  any  other  thing.  "  If  any  man  will  come 
after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily  and 
follow  Me." 

I  have  heard  of  a  great  many  people  who  think  if  they  are 
united  to  the  church,  and  have  made  one  profession,  that  will 
do  for  all  the  rest  of  their  days.  But  there  is  a  cross  for  every 
one  of  us  daily.  Oh,  child  of  God,  where  are  you  ?  If  God  should 
appear  to  you  to-night  in  your  bedroom  and  put  the  question,  what 
would  be  your  answer  ?    Could  you  say,  "  Lord,  I  am  serving  Thee 


4  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

with  my  whole  heart  and  strength  j  I  am  improving  my  talents 
and  preparing  for  the  kingdom  to  come  "  ?  When  I  was  in  England 
in  1867,  there  was  a  merchant  who  came  over  from  Dublin,  and 
was  talking  with  a  business  man  in  London  j  and  as  I  happened  to 
look  in,  he  introduced  me  to  the  man  from  Dublin.  Alluding  to 
me,  the  latter  said  to  the  former,  "  Is  this  young  man  all  O  O  ?  " 
Said  the  London  man,  "  What  do  you  mean  by  O  O  ?  "  Replied 
the  Dublin  man,  "  Is  he  Out-and-Out  for  Christ?"  I  tell  you  it 
burned  down  into  my  soul.  It  means  a  good  deal  to  be  O  O  for 
Christ ;  but  that  is  what  all  Christians  ought  to  be,  and  their  influ- 
ence would  be  felt  on  the  world  very  soon,  if  men  who  are  on  the 
Lord's  side  would  come  out  and  take  their  stand,  and  lift  up  their 
voices  in  season  and  out  of  season.  As  I  have  said,  there  are  a 
great  many  in  the  church  who  make  one  profession,  and  that  is 
about  all  you  hear  of  them  j  and  when  they  come  to  die  you  have 
to  go  and  hunt  up  some  musty  old  church  records,  to  know  whether 
they  were  Christian's  or  not.  God  won't  do  that.  I  have  an  idea 
that  when  Daniel  died,  all  the  men  in  Babylon  knew  whom  he 
served.  There  was  no  need  for  them  to  hunt  up  old  books.  His 
life  told  his  story.  What  we  want  is  men  with  a  little  courage  to 
stand  up  for  Christ.  When  Christianity  wakes  up,  and  every  child 
that  belongs  to  the  Lord  is  willing  to  speak  for  Him,  is  willing  to 
work  for  Him,  and,  if  need  be,  willing  to  die  for  Him,  then 
Christianity  will  advance,  and  we  shall  see  the  work  of  the  Lord 
prosper.  There  is  one  thing  which  I  fear  more  than  anything  else, 
and  that  is  the  dead  cold  formalism  of  the  Church  of  God.  Talk 
about  the  isms  !  Put  them  all  together,  and  I  do  not  fear  them  so 
much  as  dead,  cold  formalism.  Talk  about  the  false  isms  !  There 
is  none  so  dangerous  as  this  dead,  cold  formalism,  which  has  come 
right  into  the  heart  of  the  Church.  There  are  so  many  of  us  just 
sleeping  and  slumbering  while  souls  all  around  are  perishing.  I 
believe  honestly  that  we  professed  Christians  are  all  half-asleep. 
Some  of  us  are  beginning  to  rub  our  e^es  and  to  get  them  half- 
opened,  but  as  a  whole  we  are  asleep. 

There  was  a  little  story  going  the  round  of  the  secular  press 
that  made  a  great  impression  upon  me  as  a  father.  A  father  took 
his  little  child  out  into  the  field  one  Sabbath,  and,  it  being  a  hot 
day,  he  lay  down  under  a  beautiful  shady  tree.     The  little  child 


WHERE  ART  THOUf" 


ran  about  gathering  wild  flowers  and  little  blades  of  grass,  and 
coming  to  its  father  and  saying,  "  Pretty  !  pretty !  "  At  last  the 
father  fell  asleep,  and  while  he  was  sleeping  the  little  child  wan- 
dered away.  When  he  awoke,  his  first  thought  was,  "  Where  is 
my  child  ?  "  He  looked  all  around,  but  he  could  not  see  him.  He 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  but  all  he  heard  was  the  echo  of 
his  own  voice.  Running  to  a  little  hill,  he  looked  around  and 
shouted  again.  No  response !  Then  going  to  a  precipice  at  some 
distance,  he  looked  down,  and  there,  upon  the  rocks  and  briars,  he 
saw  the  mangled  form  of  his  loved  child.  He  rushed  to  the  spot, 
took  up  the  lifeless  corpse  and  hugged  it  to  his  bosom,  and  accused 
himself  of  being  the  murderer  of  his  child.  While  he  was  sleeping 
his  child  had  wandered  over  the  precipice.  I  thought  as  I  heard 
that,  what  a  picture  of  the  church  of  God ! 

How  many  fathers  and  mothers,  how  many  Christian  men,  are 
sleeping  now  while  their  children  wander  over  the  terrible  precipice 
right  into  the  bottomless  pit  of  hell.  Father,  where  is  your  boy  to- 
night ?  It  may  be  just  out  there  in  some  public-house ;  it  may  be 
reeling  through  the  streets,  it  may  be  pressing  onwards  to  a 
drunkard's  grave.  Mother,  where  is  your  son  ?  Is  he  in  the  house 
of  the  publican  drinking  away  his  soul — everything  that  is  dear  and 
sacred  to  him  ?  Do  you  know  where  your  boy  is  ?  Father,  you  have 
been  a  professed  Christian  for  forty  years  j  where  are  your  children 
to-night?  Have  you  lived  so  godly,  and  so  Christ- like,  that  you 
can  say,  Follow  me  as  I  followed  Christ  ?  Are  those  children 
walking  in  wisdom  ;  are  they  on  their  way  to  glory  5  have  they 
been  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ ;  are  their  names  written  in 
the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life  ?  How  many  fathers  and  mothers  to-day 
would  be  able  to  answer?  Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  that  you 
were  to  blame ;  that  you  had  not  been  faithful  to  your  children  ? 
Depend  upon  it,  as  long  as  the  church  is  living  so  much  like  the 
world,  we  cannot  expect  our  children  to  be  brought  into  the  fold. 
Come,  O  Lord,  and  wake  up  every  mother,  and  may  everyone  of 
us  who  are  parents  feel  the  worth  of  the  souls  of  the  children  that 
God  has  given  us.  May  they  never  bring  our  grey  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave,  but  may  they  become  a  blessing  to  the  church 
and  to  the  world.  Not  long  ago  the  only  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
friend  of  mine  sickened  and  died.    The  father  and  mother  stood  bvr 


6  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

her  dying  bed.  He  had  spent  all  his  time  in  accumulating  wealth 
for  her  j  she  had  been  introduced  into  gay  and  fashionable  society  j 
but  she  had  been  taught  nothing  of  Christ.  As  she  came  to  the 
brink  of  the  river  of  death,  she  said,  "Won't  you  help  me  ;  it  is 
very  dark,  and  the  stream  is  bitter  cold."  They  wrung  their  hands 
in  grief,  but  could  do  nothing  for  her ;  and  the  poor  girl  died  in 
darkness  and  despair.  What  was  their  wealth  to  them  then  ?  And 
yet,  you  mothers  and  fathers  are  doing  the  same  thing  in  London 
to-day,  by  ignoring  the  work  God  has  given  you  to  do.  I  beseech 
you,  then,  each  one  of  you,  begin  to  labour  now  for  the  souls  of 
your  children ! 

A  young  man,  some  time  ago,  lay  dying,  and  his  mother  thought 
he  was  a  Christian.     One  day,  passing  his  room  door,  she  heard 
him  say,  "  Lost !  lost !  lost !  "     The  mother  ran  into  the  room  and 
cried,  "  My  boy,  is  it  possible  you  have  lost  your  hope  in  Christ, 
now  you  are  dying?"     "No,  mother,  it  is  not  that;   I  have  a 
hope  beyond  the  grave,  but   I  have   lost  my  life.     I  have  lived 
twenty-four  years,  and  done  nothing  for  the  Son  of  God,  and  now 
I  am  dying.     My  life  has  been  spent  for  myself  j  I  have  lived  for 
this  world,  and  now,  while  I  am  dying,  I  have  given  myself  to 
Christ  j  but  my  life  is  lost."     Would  it  not  be  said  of  many  of  us, 
if  we  should  be  cut  down,  that  our  lives  have  been  almost  a  failure 
— perhaps  entirely  a  failure  as  far  as  leading  any  one  else  to  Christ 
is  concerned  ?     Young  lady !  are  you  working  for  the  Son  of  God  ? 
Are  you  trying  to  win  some  soul  to  Christ  ?     Have  you  tried  to 
get  some  friend  or  companion  to  have  her  name  written  in  the 
book  of  life  ?     Or  would  you  say,  "  Lost,  lost !  long  years  have 
rolled  away  since  I  became  a  child  of  God,  and  I  have  never  had 
the  privilege  of  leading  one  soul  to  Christ  ?  "     If  there  is  one  pro- 
fessed child  of  God  who  never  had  the  joy  of  leading  even  one 
soul  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  oh  !  let  him  begin  at  once.     There 
is  no  greater  privilege  on  earth.     And  I  believe,  my  friends,  there 
has  never  been  a  time,  in  our  day,  at  least,  when  work  for  Christ 
was  more  needed  than  at  present.     I  do  not  believe  there  ever  was 
in  your  day  or  mine  a  time  when  the  Spirit  of  God  was  more 
poured  out  upon  the  world.     There  is  not  a  part  of  Christendom 
where  the  work  is  not  being  carried  on ;  and  it  looks  very  much  as> 
if  the  glad  tidings  were  just  going  to  take,  as  it  were,  a  fresh  start, 


"  WHERE  ART  THOU?"  7 

and  go  round  the  globe.  Is  it  not  time  that  the  Church  of  God 
should  wake  up  and  come  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  as  one  man,  and 
strive  to  beat  back  those  dark  waves  of  death  that  roll  through  our 
streets;  bearing  upon  their  bosom  the  noblest  and  the  best  we 
have  ?  Oh,  may  God  wake  up  the  Church  !  And  let  us  trim  our 
lights,  and  go  forth  and  work  for  the  kingdom  of  His  Son. 

Now,  Secondly,  let  me  talk  a  little  while  to  those  who  have 
gone  back  into  the  world — to  the  Backslider.  It  may  be  you  came 
to  some  great  city  a  few  years  ago  a  professed  Christian.  You  were 
member  of  a  church  once,  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath-school, 
perhaps  5  but  when  you  came  among  strangers  you  thought  you 
would  just  wait  a  little— perhaps  take  a  class  by  and  by.  So  you 
gave  up  teaching  in  the  Sunday-school ;  you  gave  up  all  work 
for  Christ.  Then  in  your  new  church  you  did  not  receive  the 
attention  or  the  warm  welcome  that  you  expected,  and  you  got  into 
the  habit  of  staying  away.  You  have  gone  so  far  now,  that  you 
are  found  in  the  theatre,  perhaps,  and  the  companion  of  blas- 
phemers and  drunkards.  Perhaps  I  am  speaking  now  to  some  on^ 
who  has  been  away  from  his  father's  house  for  many  years.  Come, 
now,  backslider,  tell  me,  are  you  happy?  Have'  you  had  one 
happy  hour  since  you  left  Christ  r  Does  the  world  satisfy  you,  or 
those  husks  that  you  have  got  in  the  far  country  ?  I  have  travelled 
a  good  deal,  but  I  never  found  a  happy  backslider  in  my  life.  I 
never  knew  a  man  who  was  really  born  of  God  that  ever  could 
find  the  world  satisfy  him  afterwards.  Do  you  think  the  Prodigal 
Son  was  satisfied  in  that  foreign  country  ?  Ask  the  prodigals  in 
this  city  if  they  are  truly  happy.  You  know  they  are  not.  "  There 
is  no  peace,  saith  my  GGd  to  the  wicked."  TheVe  is  no  joy  for 
the  man  in  rebellion  against  his  Creator.  Supposing  he  has  tasted 
the  heavenly  gift,  and  been  in  communion  with  God,  and  had 
sweet  fellowship  with  the  King  of  Heaven,  and  had  pleasant  hours 
of  service  for  the  Master,  but  has  backslidden,  is  it  possible  that  he 
can  be  happy  ?  If  he  is,  it  is  good  evidence  he  was  never  really 
converted.  If  a  man  has  been  born  again,  and  has  received  the 
heavenly  nature,  this  world  can  never  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his 
nature.  Oh,  backslider,  I  pity  you  !  But  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  pities  you  a  good  deal  more  than  any  one  else  can. 


8  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

He  knows  how  bitter  your  life  is ;  He  knows  how  dark  your  life 
is  3  He  wants  you  to  come  home.  Oh,  backslider,  come  home 
to-night !  I  have  a  loving  message  from  your  Father.  The  Lord 
wants  you,  and  calls  you  back  to-night,  "  Come  home,  oh  wan- 
derer, this  night  :  return  from  the  dark  mountains  of  sin.'*  Return, 
and  your  Father  will  give  you  a  warm  welcome.  I  know  that  the 
devil  has  told  you  that  God  won't  have  anything  to  do  with  you, 
because  you  have  wandered  away.  If  that  is  true,  there  would  be 
very  few  men  in  heaven.  David  backslid  j  Abraham  and  Jacob 
turned  away  from  God ;  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  saint  in  heaven 
but  at  some  time  of  his  life  with  his  heart  has  backslidden  from 
God.  Perhaps  not  in  his  life,  but  in  his  heart.  The  prodigal's 
heart  got  into  the  far  country  before  his  body  got  there.  Back- 
slider !  to-night  come  home.  Your  Father  does  not  want  you  to 
stay  away.  Think  you  the  prodigal's  father  was  not  anxious  for 
him  to  come  home  all  those  long  years  he  was  there  ?  Every  year 
the  father  was  looking  and  longing  for  him  to  return  home.  So 
God  wants  you  to  come  home.  I  do  not  care  how  far  you  have 
wandered  away  5  the  great  Shepherd  will  receive  you  back  into  the 
fold  to-night.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  backslider  coming  home, 
and  God  not  willing  to  receive  him  ?  I  have  heard  of  earthly 
fathers  and  mothers  not  being  willing  to  receive  back  their  sons  j 
but  I  defy  any  man  to  say  he  ever  knew  a  really  honest  backslider 
,  want  to  get  home,  but  God  was  willing  to  take  him  in. 
i*w*J*  A  number  of  years  ago,  before  any  railway  came  into  Chicago, 

I  tjr***  tney  used  to  hring  in  the  grain  from  the  Western  prairies  in 
waggons  for  hundreds  of  miles,  so  as  to  have  it  shipped  off  by  the 
Lakes.  There  was  a  father  who  had  a  large  farm  out  there,  and 
who  used  to  preach  the  gospel  as  well  as  attend  to  his  farm.  One 
day,  when  church  business  engaged  him,  he  sent  his  son  to  Chicago 
with  grain.  He  waited  and  waited  for  his  boy  to  return,  but  he  did 
not  come  home.  At  last  he  could  wait  no  longer,  so  he  saddled 
his  horse  and  rode  to  the  place  where  his  son  had  sold  the  grain. 
He  found  that  he  had  been  there  and  got  the  money  for  the  grain  ; 
then  he  began  to  fear  that  his  boy  had  been  murdered  and  robbed. 
At  last,  with  the  aid  of  a  detective,  they  tracked  him  to  a  gambling 
den,  where  they  found  that  he  had  gambled  away  the  whole  of  his 
money.     In  hopes  of  winning  it  back  again,  he  then  had  sold  the 


"  WHERE  ART  THOU?"  9 

team,  and  lost  that  money  too.  He  had  fallen  among  thieves,  and 
like  the  man  who  was  going  to  Jericho,  they  stripped  him,  and 
then  they  cared  no  more  about  him.  What  could  he  do  ?  He  was 
ashamed  to  go  home  to  meet  his  father,  and  he  fled.  The  father 
knew  what  it  all  meant.  He  knew  the  boy  thought  he  would  be 
very  angry  with  him.  He  was  grieved  to  think  that  his  boy  should 
have  such  feelings  towards  him.  That  is  just  exactly  like  the 
sinner.  He  thinks  because  he  has  sinned,  God  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  him.  But  what  did  that  father  do  ?  Did  he  say,  "  Let 
the  boy  go  "  ?  No j  he  went  after  him.  He  arranged  his  busi- 
ness and  started  after  the  boy.  That  man  went  from  town  to  town, 
from  city  to  city.  He  would  get  the  ministers  to  let  him  preach, 
and  at  the  close  he  would  tell  his  story.  "  I  have  got  a  boy  who 
is  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth  somewhere."  He  would 
describe  his  boy  and  say,  a  If  you  ever  hear  of  him  or  see  him,  will 
you  not  write  to  me  ?"  At  last  he  found  that  he  had  gone  to  Cali- 
fornia, thousands  of  miles  away.  Did  that  father  say,  "  Let  him  go  ?" 
No  -,  off  he  went  to  the  Pacific  coast,  seeking  the  boy.  He  went  to 
San  Francisco,  and  advertised  in  the  newspapers  that  he  would 
preach  at  such  a  church  on  such  a  day.  When  he  had  preached 
he  told  his  story,  in  hopes  that  the  boy  might  have  seen  the  adver- 
tisement and  come  to  the  church.  When  he  had  done,  away  under 
the  gallery  there  was  a  young  man  who  waited  until  the  audience 
had  gone  out ;  then  he  came  towards  the  pulpit.  The  father 
looked,  and  saw  it  was  that  boy,  and  he  ran  to  him,  and  pressed 
him  to  his  bosom.  The  boy  wanted  to  confess  what  he  had  done, 
but  not  a  word  would  the  father  hear.  He  forgave  him  freely,  and 
took  him  to  his  home  once  more. 

Oh,  prodigal,  you  may  be  wandering  on  the  dark  mountains  of 
sin,  but  God  wants  you  to  come  home.  The  devil  has  been  telling 
you  lies  about  God ;  you  think  He  will  not  receive  you  back.  I 
tell  you,  He  will  welcome  you  this  minute  if  you  will  come.  Say, 
"  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  May  God  incline  you  to  take 
this  step.  There  is  not  one  whom  Jesus  has  not  sought  far  longer 
than  that  father.  There  has  not  been  a  day  since  you  left  Him 
but  He  has  followed  you.  I  do  not  care  what  the  past  has  been, 
or  how  black  your  life,  He  will  receive  you  back.  Arise  then,  O 
backslider,  and  come  home  once  more  to  your  Father's  house. 


io  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

Not  long  ago,  in  Edinburgh,  a  lady  who  was  an  earnest 
Christian  worker,  found  a  young  woman  whose  feet  had  taken 
hold  of  hell,  and  who  was  pressing  onwards  to  a  harlot's  grave. 
The  lady  begged  her  to  go  back  to  her  home,  but  she  said  no,  her 
parents  would  never  receive  her.  This  Christian  woman  knew 
what  a  mother's  heart  was  ;  so  she  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter  to 
the  mother,  telling  her  how  she  had  met  her  daughter,  who  was 
sorry,  and  wanted  to  return.  The  next  post  brought  an  answer 
back,  and  on  the  envelope  was  written,  "  Immediately — imme- 
diately !  "  That  was  a  mother's  heart  They  .opened  the  letter. 
Yes,  she  was  forgiven.  They  wanted  her  back,  and  they  sent 
money  for  her  to  come  immediately.  Sinner,  that  is  the  proclama- 
tion, "  Come  immediately."  That  is  what  the  great  and  lovmg 
God  is  saying  to  every  wandering  sinner — immediately.  Yes,  back- 
slider, come  home  to-night.  He  will  give  you  a  warm  welcome, 
and  there  will  be  joy  in  heaven  over  your  return.  Come  now,  for 
everything  is  ready. 

A  friend  of  mine  said  to  me  some  time  ago,  Did  you  ever  notice 
what  the  prodigal  lost  by  going  into  that  country  ?  He  lost  his 
food.  That  is  what  every  poor  backslider  loses.  They  get  no 
manna  from  heaven.  The  Bible  is  a  closed  book  to  them ;  they 
see  no  beauty  in  the  Word  of  God. 

Then  the  prodigal  lost  his  work.  He  was  a  Jew,  and  they 
made  him  take  care  of  swine ;  that  was  all  loss  for  a  Jew.  So 
every  backslider  loses  his  work.  He  cannot  do  anything  for  God  j 
he  cannot  work  for  eternity.  He  is  a  stumbling-block  to  the 
world.     My  friend,  do  not  let  the  world  stumble  over  you  into  hell. 

The  prodigal  also  lost  his  testimony.  Who  believed  him  ?  I 
can  imagine  some  of  these  men  came  along,  natives  of  that  country, 
and  they  saw  this  poor  prodigal  in  his  rags,  barefooted  and  bare- 
headed. There  he  stands  among  the  swine,  and  some  one  says  to 
another,  u  Look  at  that  poor  wretch."  "  What,"  he  says,  "  do  you 
call  me  a  poor  wretch  ?  My  father  is  a  wealthy  man  ;  he  has  got 
more  clothes  in  his  wardrobe  than  you  ever  saw  in  your  life.  My 
father  is  a  man  of  great  wealth  and  position."  Do  you  suppose 
these  men  would  believe  him  ?  "  That  poor  wretch  the  son  of  a 
wealthy  man!  "  Not  one  of  them  would  believe  him.  "If  he 
had  got  such  a  wealthy  father  he  would  go  to  him."     So  with  the 


"  WHERE  ART  THOU?"  II 

backsliders  ;  the  world  does  not  believe  that  they  are  the  sons  of  a 
King.  They  say,  "  Why  don't  they  go  to  Him,  if  there  is  bread 
enough  and  to  spare?     Why  don't  they  go  home  ?" 

Then,  another  thing  the  prodigal  lost  was  his  home.  He  had 
no  home  in  that  foreign  country.  As  long  as  his  money  lasted,  he 
was  quite  popular  in  the  saloons  and  among  his  acquaint- 
ances; he  had  professed  friends,  but  as  soon  as  his  money  was 
gone,  where  were  his  friends  ?  That  is  the  condition  of  every 
poor  backslider  in  the  world. 

But  now  I  can  imagine  some  one  saying,  "  There  would  be 
little  use  of  me  attempting  to  come  back.  In  a  few  days  I  should 
just  be  where  I  was  again.  I  should  like  very  much  to  go  to  my 
Father's  home  again,  but  I'm  afraid  I  wouldn't  stay  there.''  Well, 
just  picture  this  scene.  The  poor  prodigal  has  got  home,  and  the 
father  has  killed  the  fatted  calf ;  and  there  they  are,  sitting  at  the 
table  eating.  I  can  imagine  that  was  about  the  sweetest  morsel  he 
ever  got — perhaps  the  nicest  dinner  he  ever  had  in  his  life.  His 
father  sits  opposite ;  he  is  full  of  joy,  and  his  heart  is  leaping 
within  him.  All  at  once  he  sees  his  boy  weeping.  "  My  son, 
what  are  you  weeping  for?  Are  you  not  glad  to  have  got 
home  ?  "  "  Oh,  yes,  father  j  I  never  was  so  glad  as  I  am  to-day  : 
but  I  am  so  afraid  I  will  go  back  into  that  foreign  country !  " 
Why,  you  cannot  imagine  such  a  thing  !  When  you  have  got  one 
meal  in  your  Father's  house,  you  will  never  be  inclined  to  wander 
away  again. 

Now  let  me  speak  to  the  Third  class.  "If  the  righteous 
scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear?" 
Sinner,  what  is  to  become  of  you  ?  How  shall  you  escape  ? 
"  Where  art  thou  ?"  Is  it  true  that  you  are  living  without  God 
and  without  hope  in  the  world  ?  Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  what 
would  become  of  your  soul  if  you  should  be  taken  away  by  a  sudden 
stroke  of  illness — where  you  would  stand  in  eternity  ?  I  read  that 
the  sinner  is  without  God,  without  hope,  and  without  excuse.  If 
you  are  not  saved,  what  excuse  will  you  have  to  give  ?  You  cannot 
say  that  it  is  God's  fault.  He  is  only  too  anxious  to  save  you.  I 
want  to  tell  you  to-night  that  you  can  be  saved  if  you  will.  If  you 
really  want  to  pass  from  death  to  life,  if  you  want  to  become  an 


12  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

heir  of  eternal  life,  if  you  want  to  become  a  child  of  God,  make  up 
your  mind  this  night  that  you  will  seek  the  kingdom  of  God.  I 
tell  you,  upon  the  authority  of  this  Word,  that  if  you  seek  the 
kingdom  of  God  you  will  find  it.  No  man  ever  sought  Christ 
with  a  heart  to  find  Him  who  did  not  find  Him.  I  never  knew  a 
man  make  up  his  mind  to  have  the  question  settled,  but  it  was 
settled  soon.  This  last  year  there  has  been  a  solemn  feeling 
stealing  over  me.  I  am  what  they  call  in  the  middle  of  life,  in  the 
prime  of  life.  I  look  upon  life  as  a  man  who  has  reached  the  top 
of  a  hill,  and  just  begins  to  go  down  the  other  side.  I  have  got  to 
the  top  of  the  hill,  if  I  should  live  the  full  term  of  life — threescore 
years  and  ten — and  am  just  on  the  other  side.  I  am  speaking  to 
many  now  who  are  also  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  I  ask  you,  if 
you  are  not  Christians,  just  to  pause  a  few  minutes,  and  ask  your- 
selves where  you  are.  Let  us  look  back  on  the  hill  that  we  have 
been  climbing.  What  do  you  see?  Yonder  is  the  cradle.  It 
is  not  far  away.  How  short  life  is !  It  all  seems  but  as  yes- 
terday. Look  along  up  the  hill,  and  yonder  is  a  tombstone ;  it 
marks  the  resting-place  of  a  loved  mother.  When  that  mother 
died,  did  you  not  promise  God  that  you  would  serve  Him  ?  Did 
you  not  say  that  your  mother's  God  should  become  your  God? 
And  did  you  not  take  her  hand  in  the  stillness  of  the  dying  hour, 
and  say,  "Yes,  mother,  I  will  meet  you  in  heaven!"  And  have 
you  kept  that  promise  ?  Are  you  trying  to  keep  it  ?  Ten  years 
have  rolled  away  :  fifteen  years — but  are  you  any  nearer  God  ?  Did 
the  promise  work  any  improvement  in  you  ?  No,  your  heart  is 
getting  harder ;  the  night  is  getting  darker  j  by  and  by  death  will 
be  throwing  its  shadows  round  you.  My  friend,  Where  art  thou  ? 
Look  again.  A  little  further  up  the  hill  there  is  another  tombstone. 
It  marks  the  resting-place  of  a  little  child.  It  may  have  been  a 
little  lovely  girl — perhaps  her  name  was  Mary ;  or  it  may  have  been 
a  boy — Charley ;  and  when  that  child  was  taken  from  you,  did  you 
not  promise  God,  and  did  you  not  promise  the  child,  that  you  would 
meet  it  in  heaven  ?  Is  the  promise  kept  ?  Think  !  Are  you  still 
fighting  against  God  ?  Are  you  still  hardening  your  heart  ?  Ser- 
mons that  would  have  moved  vou  five  years  ago — do  they  touch 
you  now  ? 

Once  more  look  down  the  hill.     Yonder  there  is  a  grave  ;  you 


"  WHERE  ART  THOU?"  13 

cannot  tell  how  many  days,  or  weeks,  or  years  it  is  away ;  you  arts 
hastening  towards  that  grave.  Even  should  you  live  the  life  allotted 
to  man,  many  of  you  are  near  the  end,  you  are  getting  very  feeble, 
and  your  locks  are  turning  grey.  It  may  be  the  coffin  is  already 
made  that  this  body  shall  be  laid  in ;  it  may  be  that  the  shroud 
is  already  waiting.  My  friend,  is  it  not  the  height  of  madness  to 
put  off  salvation  so  long  ?  Undoubtedly  I  am  speaking  to  some 
who  will  be  in  eternity  a  week  from  now.  In  a  large  audience  like 
this,  during  the  next  week  death  will  surely  come  and  snatch  some 
away ;  it  may  be  the  speaker,  or  it  may  be  some  one  who  is  listen- 
ing. Why  put  off  the  question  another  day  ?  Why  say  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  again  to-night,  "  Go  thy  way  for  this  time ;  when  I 
have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  call  for  Thee?"  Why  not  let 
Him  come  in  to-night?  Why  not  open  your  heart,  and  say, 
"  King  of  Glory,  come  in  ? ' 

Will  there  ever  be  a  better  opportunity  ?  Did  not  you  promise 
ten,  fifteen,  twenty,  thirty  years  ago  that  you  would  serve  God? 
Some  of  you  said  you  would  do  it  when  you  got  married  and 
settled  down  j  some  of  you  said  you  would  serve  Him  when  you 
were  your  own  master.     Have  you  attended  to  it  ? 

You  know  there  are  three  steps  to  the  lost  world ;  let  me  give 
you  their  names.  The  first  is  Neglect.  All  a  man  has  to  do  is  to 
neglect  salvation,  and  that  will  take  him  to  the  lost  world.  Some 
people  say,  "What  have  I  done!"  Why,  if  you  merely  neglect 
salvation,  you  will  be  lost.  I  am  on  a  swift  river,  and  lying  in  the 
bottom  of  my  little  boat.  Down  yonder,  ten  miles  below,  is  the 
great  cataract.  Every  one  that  goes  over  it  perishes.  I  need  not 
row  the  boat  down  3  I  have  only  to  pull  in  the  oars,  and  fold  my 
arms,  and  neglect.  So  all  that  a  man  has  to  do  is  to  fold  his  arms 
in  the  current  of  life,  and  he  will  drift  onwards  and  be  lost. 

The  second  step  is  Refusal.  If  I  met  you  at  the  door  and 
pressed  this  question  on  you,  you  would  say,  "  Not  to-night,  Mr. 
Moody,  not  to-night  5"  and  if  I  repeated,  "  I  want  you  to  press  into 
the  kingdom  of  God,"  you  would  politely  refuse  :  "  I  will  not 
become  a  Christian  to-night,  thank  you  j  I  know  I  ought,  but  I 
wont  to-night." 

Then  the  last  step  is  to  Despise  it.  Some  of  you  have  already 
got  on  the  lower  round  of  the  ladder.     You  despise  Christ.     You 


14  "  WHERE  ART  THOU?" 

hate  Christ,  you  hate  Christianity  $  you  hate  the  best  people  on 
earth  and  the  best  friends  you  have  got  ;  and  if  I  were  to  offer 
you  the  Bible,  you  would  tear  it  up  and  put  your  foot  upon  it.  Oh, 
despisers  !  you  will  soon  be  in  another  world.  Make  ha^te  and 
repent  and  turn  to  God.  Now,  on  which  step  are  you,  my  friend  j 
neglecting,  or  refusing,  or  despising  ?  Bear  in  mind  that  a  great 
many  are  taken  off  from  the  first  step  :  they  die  in  neglect.  And 
a  great  many  are  taken  away  refusing.  And  a  great  many  are  on 
the  last  step,  despising  salvation. 

A  few  years  ago  they  neglected,  then  they  got  to  refuse  ;  and 
now  they  despise  Christianity  and  Christ.  They  hate  the  sound  of 
the  church  bell  j  they  hate  the  Bible  and  the  Christian  $  they  curse 
the  very  ground  that  we  walk  on.  But  one  more  step  and  they 
are  gone.  Oh  ye  despisers,  I  set  before  you  life  and  death  5  which 
will  you  choose  ?  When  Pilate  had  Christ  on  his  hands,  he  said, 
"  What  shall  I  do  with  Him  ? "  and  the  multitude  cried  out, 
"Away  with  Him!  crucify  Him!"  Young  men,  is  that  your 
language  to-night  ?  Do  you  say,  u  Away  with  this  gospel  ! 
Away  with  Christianity  !  Away  with  your  prayers,  your  sermons, 
your  gospel  sounds!  I  do  not  want  Christ?  "  Or  will  you  be 
wise  and  say,  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  want  Thee,  I  need  Thee,  I  will 
have  Thee  ?  "     Oh,  may  God  bring  you  to  that  decision  ! 


II. 
THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE." 


ROMANS  III.   22. 


That  is  one  of  the  hardest  truths  man  has  to  learn.  We  are  apt 
to  think  that  we  are  just  a  little  better  than  our  neighbours,  and  if 
we  find  they  are  a  little  better  than  ourselves,  we  go  to  work  and 
try  to  pull  them  down  to  our  level.  If  you  want  to  find  out  who 
and  what  man  is,  go  to  the  third  chapter  of  Romans,  and  there  the 
whole  story  is  told.  "There  is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one.'* 
"  All  have  sinned  and  come  short."  All.  Some  men  like  to  have 
their  lives  written  before  they  die  -,  if  any  of  you  would  like  to 
read  your  biography,  turn  to  this  chapter,  and  you  will  find  it 
already  written. 

I  can  imagine  some  one  saying,  "  I  wonder  if  he  really  pretends 
to  say  that  '  there  is  no  difference.'  "  The  teetotaller  says,  "  Am 
I  no  better  than  the  drunkard  ? ''  Well,  I  want  to  say  right  here, 
that  it  is  a  good  deal  better  to  be  temperate  than  intemperate  j  a 
good  deal  better  to  be  honest  than  dishonest ;  it  is  better  for  a  man 
to  be  upright  in  all  his  transactions  than  to  cheat  right  and  left, 
even  in  this  life.  But  when  it  comes  to  the  great  question  of  sal- 
vation, that  does  not  touch  the  question  at  all,  because  "  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God."  Men  are  all  bad  by 
nature ;  the  old  Adam-stock  is  bad,  and  we  cannot  bring  forth 
good  fruit  until  we  are  grafted  into  the  one  True  Vine.  If  I  have 
an  orchard,  and  two  apple  trees  in  it,  which  both  bear  some  bitter 
apples,  perfectly  worthless,  does  it  make  any  difference  to  me  that 
the  one  tree  has  got  perhaps  five  hundred  apples,  all  bad,  and  the 
other  only  two,  both  bad  ?     There  is  no  difference  ;  only  one  tree 


16  "  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE:' 

has  more  fruit  than  the  other.  But  it  is  all  had.  So  it  is  with 
man.  One  thinks  he  has  got  only  one  or  two  very  little  sins — God 
won't  notice  that  5  why,  that  other  man  has  broken  every  one  of 
the  ten  commandments  !  No  matter,  there  is  no  difference  ;  they 
are  both  guilty  $  they  have  both  broken  the  law.  The  law  de- 
mands complete  and  perfect  fulfilment,  and  if  you  cannot  do  that, 
you  are  lost,  as  far  as  the  law  is  concerned.  "  Whosoever  shall,  keep 
the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all" 
Suppose  you  were  to  hang  up  a  man  to'  the  roof  with  a  chain  of 
ten  links  -,  if  one  were  to  break,  does  it  matter  that  the  other  nine 
are  all  sound  and  whole  ?  Not  the  least.  One  link  breaks,  and 
down  comes  the  man.  But  is  it  not  rather  hard  that  he  should  fall 
when  the  other  nine  are  perfect,  when  only  one  is  broken  ?  Why, 
of  course  not  5  if  one  is  broken,  it  is  just  the  same  to  the  man  as  if 
all  had  been  broken  :  he  falls.  So  the  man  who  breaks  one  com- 
mandment is  guilty  of  all.  He  is  a  criminal  in  God's  sight.  Look 
at  yonder  prison,  with  its  thousand  victims.  Some  are  there  for 
murder,  some  for  stealing,  some  for  forgery,  some  for  one  thing 
and  some  for  another.  You  may  classify  them;  but  every  man  is  a 
criminal.  They  have  all  broken  the  law,  and  they  are  all  paying 
the  penalty.  So  the  law  has  brought  every  man  in  a  criminal  in 
the  sight  of  God. 

If  a  man  should  advertise  that  he  could  take  a  correct  photo- 
graph of  people's  hearts,  do  you  believe  he  would  find  a  customer  ? 
There  is  not  a  man  among  us  whom  you  could  hire  to  have  his 
photograph  taken,  if  you  could  photograph  the  real  man.  We  go 
to  have  our  faces  taken,  and  carefully  arrange  our  toilet,  and  if  the 
artist  flatters  us,  we  say,  "Oh,  yes,  that's  a  first-rate  likeness,"  as 
we  pass  it  round  among  our  friends.  But  let  the  real  man  be 
brought  out,  the  photograph  of  the  heart,  and  see  if  a  man  will 
pass  that  round  among  his  neighbours.  Why,  you  would  not 
want  your  own  wife  to  see  it !  You  would  be  frightened  even  to 
look  at  it  yourself.  Nobody  knows  what  is  in  that  heart  but 
Christ.  We  are  told  that ' '  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things, 
and  desperately  wicked ;  who  can  know  it  ?  "  We  do  not  know 
our  own  hearts ;  none  of  us  have  any  idea  how  bad  they  are.  Some 
bitter  things  are  written  against  me,  but  I  know  a  good  many 
more  things  about  myself  that  are  bad  than  any  other  man.    There 


"  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE:'  17 

is  nothing  good  in  the  old  Adam  nature.  We  have  got  a  heart  in 
rebellion  against  God  by  nature,  and  we  do  not  even  love  God 
unless  we  are  born  of  the  Spirit.  I  can  understand  why  men  do 
not  like  this  third  chapter  of  Romans— it  is  too  strong  for  them. 
It  speaks  the  truth  too  plainly.  But  just  because  we  do  not  like  it, 
we  shall  be  all  the  better  for  having  a  look  at  it ;  very  likely  we 
shall  rind  that  it  is  exactly  what  we  want,  after  all.  It's  a  truth 
that  men  do  not  at  all  like,  but  I  have  noticed  that  the  medicine  we 
do  not  like  is  the  medicine  that  will  do  us  most  good.  If  we  do 
not  think  we  are  as  bad  as  the  description,  we  must  just  take  a 
closer  look  at  ourselves.  Here  is  a  man  who  thinks  he  is  not  just 
so  bad  as  it  makes  him  out  to  be.  He  is  sure  he  is  a  little  better 
than  his  neighbour  next  door  ;  why,  he  goes  to  church  regularly, 
and  his  neighbour  never  goes  to  church  at  all !  "  Of  course,"  he 
congratulates  himself,  "  I'll  certainly  get  saved  easier."  But  there 
is  no  use  trying  to  evade  it.  God  has  given  us  the  law  to  measure 
ourselves  by,  and  by  this  most  perfect  rule  "  we  have  all  sinned 
and  come  short,"  and  "  there  is  no  difference." 

Paul  brings  in  the  law  to  show  man  that  he  is  lost  and  ruined. 
God,  being  a  perfect  God,  had  to  give  a  perfect  law,  and  the  law 
was  given  not  to  save  men,  but  to  measure  them  by.  I  want  you 
to  understand  this  clearly,  because  I  believe  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands stumble  there.  They  try  to  save  themselves  by  trying  to 
Keep  the  law ;  but  it  was  never  meant  for  men  to  save  them- 
selves by.  The  law  has  never  saved  a  single  man  since  the  world 
began.  Men  have  been  trying  to  keep  it,  but  they  have  never  suc- 
ceeded, and  never  will.  Ask  Paul  what  it  was  given  for.  Here  is 
his  answer,  "  That  every  mouth  might  be  stopped,  and  the  whole 
world  become  guilty  before  God."  In  this  third  chapter  of 
Romans  the  world  has  been  put  on  its  trial,  and  found  guilty.  The 
verdict  has  been  brought  in  against  us  all — these  ministers  and 
elders  and  church  members,  just  as  much  as  the  prodigal  and  the 
drunkard — "  All  have  sinned  and  come  short. 

The  law  stops  every  man's  mouth.  God  will  have  a  man  humble 
himself  down  on  his  face  before  Him,  with  not  a  word  to  say 
for  himself.  Then  God  will  speak  to  him,  when  he  owns  that  he 
is  a  sinner,  and  gets  rid  of  all  his  own  righteousness.  I  can  always 
tell  a  man  who  has  got  near  the  kingdom  of  God :  his  mouth  is 


1 8  *  THERE  tS  NO  DIFFERENCES 

Stopped.  If  you  will  allow  me  the  expression,  God  always  shuts 
up  a  mac's  lips  before  He  saves  him.  Job  was  not  saved  until  he 
stopped  talking  about  himself.  Just  see  how  God  dealt  with  him. 
First  of  all,  He  afflicts  him,  and  Job  begins  to  talk  about  his  own 
goodness.  "  I  delivered  the  poor,"  he  says,  "  and  the  fatherless, 
and  him  who  had  none  to  help  him.  I  was  eyes  to  the  blind,  and 
feet  was  I  to  the  lame.  I  was  a  father  to  the  poor !  "  Why,  they 
would  have  made  Job  an  elder,  if  there  had  been  elders  in  those' 
days !  He  had  been  a  wonderfully  good  man !  But  now  God 
says,  "I'll  put  a  few  questions  to  you.  Gird  up  now  thy  loins 
like  a  man  ;  for  I  will  demand  of  thee,  and  answer  thou  Me." 
And  Job  is  down  directly;  he  is  ashamed  of  himself  ;  he  cannot 
speak  of  his  works  any  more.  "  Behold,"  he  cries,  "  I  am  vile; 
what  shall  I  answer  Thee?  I  will  lay  mine  rrand  upon  my 
mouth.''  But  he  is  not  low  enough  yet,  perhaps,  and  God  puts  a 
few  more  questions.  "  Ah !  "  says  Job,  "  I  never  understood 
these  things  before — I  never  saw  it  in  that  light."  He  is  tho- 
roughly humbled  now ;  he  can't  help  confessing  it.  "  I  have 
heard  of  Thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear :  but  now  mine  eye  seeth 
Thee.  Wherefore  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes" 
Now  he  has  found  his  right  position  before  God,  and  now  God 
can  talk  to  him.  And  God  helps  him,  and  raises  him  up,  and 
gives  him  the  double  of  all  that  he  had  before.  The  clouds,  and 
the  mist,  and  the  darkness  round  his  path  are  driven  away,  and 
light  from  eternity  bursts  into  his  soul  when  he  sees  his  nothing- 
ness in  the  sight  of  a  pure  and  holy  God. 

This,  then,  is  what  God  gives  us  the  law  for — to  show  us  our- 
selves in  our  true  colours. 

I  said  to  my  little  family,  one  morning,  a  few  weeks  before  the 
Chicago  fire,  "  I  am  coming  home  this  afternoon  to  give  you  a 
ride."  My  little  boy  clapped  his  hands.  uOh,  papa,  will  you 
take  me  to  see  the  bears  in  Lincoln  Park  ?  "  "  Yes."  You  know 
boys  are  very  fond  of  seeing  bears.  I  had  not  been  gone  long  when 
my  little  boy  said,  "  Mamma,  I  wish  you  would  get  me  ready." 
"  Oh,"  she  said,  "  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  papa  comes."  "  But 
I  want  to  get  ready,  mamma."  At  last  he  was  ready  to  have  the 
ride,  face  washed,  and  clothes  all  nice  and  clean.  "  Now,  you 
must  take  good  care  and  not  get  yourself  dirty  again,"  said  mamma, 


THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE."  19 

Oh,  of  course  he  was  going  to  take  care ;  he  wasn't  going  to  get 
dirty.  So  off  he  ran  to  watch  for  me.  However,  it  was  a  long 
time  yet  until  the  afternoon,  and  after  a  little  he  began  to  play. 
When  I  got  home,  I  found  him  outside,  with  his  face  all  covered 
with  dirt.  "  I  can't  take  you  to  the  Park  that  way,  Willie."  "Why, 
papa?  you  said  you  would  take  me."  "  Ah,  but  I  can't j  you're 
all  over  mud.  I  couldn't  be  seen  with  such  a  dirty  little  boy." 
"Why,  I'se  clean,  papa;  mamma  washed  me."  "Well,  you've 
got  dirty  since."  But  he  began  to  cry,  and  I  could  not  convince 
him  that  he  was  dirty.  '  I'se  clean  ;  mamma  washed  me !  "  he 
cried.  Do  you  think  I  argued  with  him?  No.  I  just  took  him 
up  in  my  arms,  and  carried  him  into  the  house,  and  showed  him 
his  face  in  the  looking-glass.  He  had  not  a  werd  to  say.  He  could 
not  take  my  word  for  it ;  but  one  look  at  the  glass  was  enough ; 
he  saw  it  for  himself.     He  didn't  say  he  wasn't  dirty  after  that ! 

Now  the  looking-glass  showed  him  that  his  face  was  dirty 
— but  I  did  not  take  the  looking-glass  to  wash  it;  of  course  not. 
Yet  that  is  just  what  thousands  of  people  do.  The  law  is  the 
looking-glass  to  see  ourselves  in,  to  show  us  how  vile  and  worth- 
less we  are  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  but  they  take  the  law,  and  try  to 
wash  themselves  with  it !  Man  has  been  trying  that  for  six 
thousand  years,  and  has  miserably  failed.  By  the  deeds  of  the  law 
there  shall  no  Jlesli  be  justified  in  his  sig/it.  Only  one  Man  ever 
lived  on  the  earth  who  could  say  He  had  kept  the  law,  and  that 
was  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If  He  had  committed  one  sin,  and 
came  short  in  the  smallest  degree,  his  offering  Himself  for  us 
would  have  been  useless.  But  men  have  tried  to  do  what  He  did, 
and  have  failed.  Instead  of  sheltering  under  his  righteousness, 
they  have  offered  God  their  own.  And  God  knew  what  a 
miserable  failure  it  would  be.  "There  is  none  righteous,  no 
not  one." 

I  don't  care  where  you  put  man,  everywhere  he  has  been  tried 
he  has  proved  a  total  failure.  He  was  put  in  Eden  on  trial ;  and 
some  men  say  they  wish  they  had  Adam's  chance.  If  you  had, 
you  would  go  down  as  quickly  as  he  did.  You  put  five  hundred 
children  into  this  hall,  and  give  them  ten  thousand  toys  ;  tell  them 
they  can  run  all  over  the  hall,  and  they  can  have  anything  thev 
want  except  one  thing,  placed,  let  us  say,  in  one  of  the  corners  of 


20  "  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE." 

Mr.  Sankey's  organ.  You  go  out  for  a  little,  and  do  you  think 
that  is  not  the  very  first  place  they  will  go  to  ?  Why,  nothing  else 
in  the  room  would  have  any  attraction  for  them  but  just  the  thing 
they  were  told  not  to  touch.  And  so  let  us  not  think  Adam  was 
any  worse  than  ourselves.  Adam  was  put  on  trial,  and  Satan  walks 
into  Eden.  I  do  not  know  how  long  he  was  there,  but  I  should 
think  he  had  not  been  there  twenty  minutes  before  he  stripped 
Adam  of  everything  he  had.  There  he  is,  fresh  from  the  hands  of 
his  Creator ;  Satan  comes  upon  the  scene,  and  presents  a  tempta- 
tion, and  down  he  goes.     He  was  a  failure. 

Then  God  took  man  into  covenant  with  Him.  He  said  to 
Abraham,  "  Look  yonder  at  the  stars  in  the  heavens  and  the  sands 
on  the  seashore ;  I  will  make  your  seed  like  that.  I  will  bless 
thee  and  multiply  thee  upon  the  earth."  But  what  a  stupendous 
failure  man  was  under  the  covenant.     Go  back  and  read  about  it. 

They  are  brought  out  of  Egypt,  see  many  signs  and  wonders, 
and  stand  at  last  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai.  Then  God's  holy 
law  is  given  them.  Did  they  not  promise  to  keep  it?  "  O  yes," 
they  cry,  "  we'll  keep  the  law  j  O  dear,  yes  !  "  To  hear  them  talk 
you  might  think  it  was  going  to  be  all  right  now.  But  just  wait 
till  Joshua  and  Moses  have  turned  their  backs !  No  sooner  have 
their  leaders  gone  up  the  mountain  to  have  an  interview  with 
God  than  they  begin  saying,  "  Wonder  what's  become  of  this  man 
Moses  ?  we  don't  know  where  he's  got  to.  Come,  let  us  make 
unto  us  another  God.  Aaron  !  make  us  a  golden  calf  ;  here  are  the 
golden  ornaments  we  got  from  the  Egyptians,  come  and  make  us 
another  god."  So  when  it  is  made,  the  people  raise  a  great  shout, 
and  fall  down  and  worship  it.  "  Hark !  listen  ;  what  shout  is 
that  I  hear?"  says  Moses,  as  he  comes  down  the  mountain  side. 
"  Alas,"  says  Joshua,  ft  there's  war  in  the  camp,  it  is  the  shout  of 
the  victor."  "  Ah,  no,"  says  Moses,  "  it  isn't  the  shout  of  victory 
or  of  war,  Joshua,  it  is  the  cry  of  the  idolaters.  They  have  for- 
gotten the  God  who  delivered  them  from  the  Egyptians,  who  led 
them  through  the  Red  Sea,  who  fed  them  with  bread  from  heaven 
— angels'  food.  They  have  forgotten  their  promises  to  keep  the 
commandments.  Already  the  first  two  of  them  are  broken,  *  no 
other  gods,'  'no  graven  image.'  They've  made  them  another  god — 
a  golden  god !  "   And  that's  what  men  have  been  doing  ever  since. 


"  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE?  21 

There  are  more  men  in  this  city  worshipping  the  golden  calf 
than  the  God  of  heaven.  Look  around  you.  They  bring  before 
it  health,  and  happiness,  and  peace.  "  Give  me  thirty  pieces  of 
silver,  and  I  will  sell  you  Christ,"  is  the  world's  cry  to-day.  "  Give 
me  fashion,  and  I  will  sell  you  Christ !  "  "I  will  sacrifice  my  wife, 
my  children,  my  life,  my  all,  for  a  little  drink.  I  will  sell  my  soul 
for  drink  !  "  It  is  easy  to  blame  these  men  for  worshipping  the 
golden  calf.  But  what  are  we  doing  ourselves  ?  Ah,  man  was 
a  failure  then,  and  he  has  been  a  failure  ever  since. 

Then  God  put  him  under  the  judges,  and  wonderful  judges 
they  were ;  but,  once  more,  what  a  failure  he  was !  After  that 
came  the  prophets,  and  what  a  failure  he  was  under  them ! 
Then  came  the  Son  from  heaven  Himself,  right  out  of  the  bosom 
of  the  Father.  He  left  the  throne  and  came  down  here,  to  teach 
us  how  to  live.  We  took  Him  and  murdered  Him  on  Calvary  ! 
Man  was  a  failure  in  Christ's  time. 

And  now  we  are  living  under  the  dispensation  of  grace — a 
wonderful  dispensation.  God  is  showering  down  blessings  from 
above.  But  what  is  man  under  grace  !  A  stupendous  failure. 
Look  at  that  man  reeling  on  his  way  to  a  drunkard's  grave,  and 
his  soul  to  a  drunkard's  hell.  Look  at  the  wretched  harlots  on 
your  streets.  Look  at  the  profligacy,  and  the  pauperism  and  the 
loathsome  sickness.  Look  at  the  vice  and  crime  that  festers  every- 
where, and  tell  me  is  it  not  true  that  man  is  a  failure  under  grace  ? 

Yes,  man  is  a  failure.  I  can  see  right  down  the  other 
side  of  the  millennium ;  Christ  has  swayed  his  sceptre  over 
the  earth  for  a  thousand  years ;  but  man  is  a  failure  still. 
For  "  when  the  thousand  years  are  expired,  Satan  shall  be  loosed 
out  of  his  prison,  and  shall  go  out  to  deceive  the  nations  which  are 
in  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  to  gather  them 

together  to  battle and  they  compassed  the  camp  of  the  saints 

about,  and  the  beloved  city  :  and  fire  came  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  and  devoured  them."  What  man  wants  is  another  nature ; 
he  must  be  born  again.  What  a  foolish  saying,  "  Experience 
teaches."  Man  has  been  a  long  time  at  that  school,  and  has 
never  learned  his  lesson  yet — his  own  weakness  and  inability.  He 
still  thinks  great  things  of  his  own  strength.  "  I  am  going  to 
stand  after  this,"  he  says,    "  I  have  hit  upon  the  right  plan  this 


22  "  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE." 

time.  I  am  able  to  keep  the  law  now."  But  the  first  temptation 
comes,  and  he  is  down.  Man  will  not  believe  in  God's  strength. 
Man  will  not  acknowledge  himself  a  failure,  and  surrender  to 
Christ  to  save  him  from  his  sins. 

But  is  it  not  better  to  find  out  in  this  world  that  we  are  a 
failure,  and  to  go  to  Christ  for  deliverance,  than  to  sleep  on  and  go 
down  to  hell  without  knowing  we  are  sinners? 

I  know  this  doctrine  that  we  have  all  failed,  that  we  have  all 
sinned,  and  come  short,  is  exceedingly  objectionable  to  the  natural 
man.  If  I  had  tried  to  find -out  the  most  disagreeable  verse  in  the 
whole  Bible,  perhaps  I  could  not  have  fastened  upon  one  more 
universally  disliked  than  "  There  is  no  difference." 

I  can  imagine — and  I  think  I  have  a  right  to  imagine  it — Noah, 
leaving  his  ark  and  going  off  preaching  for  once  in  a  while.  As  the 
passers-by  stop  to  listen,  there  is  no  sound  of  the  hammer  or  the 
plane.  Noah  has  stopped  work.  He  has  gone  off  on  a  preaching 
tour,  to  warn  his  countrymen.  Perhaps  he  was  telling  them  that 
there  was  a  great  deluge  coming  to  sweep  away  all  the  workers  of 
iniquity  ;  perhaps  he  was  warning  them  that  every  man  who  was 
not  in  the  ark  must  perish  j  that  there  would  be  no  difference.  I 
can  imagine  one  man  saying,  "  You  had  better  go  back  and  finish 
your  work,  Noah,  rather  than  come  here  preaching.  You  don't 
think  we  are  going  to  believe  in  such  nonsense  as  that.  You  tell 
us  that  all  are  going  to  perish  alike !  Do  you  really  expect 
us  to  believe  that  the  kings  and  governors,  the  sheriffs  and  the 
princes,  the  rulers,  the  beggars  and  thieves  and  harlots,  are  all  going 
to  be  alike  lost  ?  "  "  Yes,"  says  Noah  j  "  the  deluge  that  is  coming 
by  and  by  will  take  you  all  away — every  man  that  is  not  in  the  ark 
.  must  die.  There  will  be  no  difference."  Doubtless  they  thought 
Noah  had  gone  raving  mad.  But  did  not  the  flood  come  and  take 
them  all  away  ?  Princes  and  paupers,  and  knaves  and  kings— was 
there  any  difference  ?     No  difference. 

When  the  destroying  angel  was  about  to  pass  through  Egypt, 
no  doubt  the  haughty  Egyptian  laughed  at  the  poor  Israelite  putting 
the  blood  on  his  door-post  and  lintel.  "  What  a  foolish  notion," 
he  would  say,  derisively  ;  "  the  very  idea  of  sprinkling  blood  on  a 
door-post !  If  there  were  anything  coming,  that  would  never  keep 
it  away.     I  don't  believe  there  is  any  death  coming  at  all  j  and  if 


«  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE."  23 

it  did,  it  might  touch  these  poor  people,  but  it  would  certainly  never 
come  near  us/'  But  when  the  night  came,  there  was  no  difference. 
The  king  in  his  palace,  the  captive  in  his  prison,  the  beggar  by  the 
wayside — they  were  all  alike.  Into  every  house  the  king  of  terrors 
had  come,  and  there  was  universal  mourning  in  the  land.  In  the 
home  of  the  poor  and  the  lowly,  in  the  home  of  the  prince  and  the 
noble,  in  the  home  of  the  governor  and  ruler,  the  eldest  son  lay 
dead.  Only  the  poor  Israelite  escaped  who  had  the  blood  on  the 
door-post  and  lintel.  And  when  God  comes  to  us  in  judgment,  if 
we  are  not  in  Christ,  all  will  be  alike.  Learned  or  unlearned,  high 
or  low,  priest  or  scribe — there  will  be  no  difference. 

Once  more,  I  can  imagine  Abraham  going  down  from  the  hills 
to  Sodom.  He  stands  up,  let  us  say,  at  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
before  Sodom  was  destroyed — "  Ye  men  of  Sodom,  I  have  a  mes- 
sage from  my  God  to  you."  The  people  stand  and  look  at  the 
old  man — you  can  see  his  white  locks  as  the  wind  sweeps  through 
them — "I  have  a  warning  for  you,"  he  cries.  "  God  is  going  to 
destroy  the  five  cities  of  the  plain,  and  every  man  who  does  not 
escape  to  yonder  mountain  must  perish.  When  He  comes  to 
deal  in  judgment  with  you  there  will  be  no  difference  5  every  man 
must  die.  The  Lord  Mayor,  the  princes,  the  chief  men,  the  mighty 
men,  the  judges,  the  treasurers — all  must  perish.  The  thief  and 
the  vagabond,  and  the  drunkard — yes,  all  must  perish  alike.  There 
can  be  '  no  difference.'  "  But  these  Sodomites  answer,  "You  had 
better  go  back  to  your  tent  on  the  hills,  Abraham.  We  don't 
believe  a  word  of  it.  Sodom  was  never  so  prosperous ;  business 
was  never  so  flourishing  as  now.  The  sun  never  shone  any 
brighter  than  it  does  to-day.  The  lambs  are  skipping  on  the  hills, 
and  everything  moving  on  as  it  has  done  for  centuries.  Don't 
preach  that  stuff  to  us;  we  don't  believe  it."  A  few  hours  pass, 
and  Sodom  is  in  ashes !  Did  God  make  any  difference  among 
those  who  would  not  believe?  No,  God  never  utters  any  opinion; 
what  He  says  is  truth.  "All  have  sinned  and  come  short,"  He 
cries  ;  "  and  there  is  no  difference."  I  read  of  a  deluge  of  fire  that 
is  going  to  roll  over  this  earth,  and  when  God  comes  to  deal  in 
judgment,  there  will  be  no  difference,  and  every  man  who  is  out  of 
Christ  must  perish. 

It  was  my  sad  lot  to  be  in  the  Chicago  fire.     As  the  flames 


24  f  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE." 

rolled  down  our  streets,  destroying  everything  in  their  onward 
march,  I  saw  the  great  and  the  honourable,  the  learned  and  the 
wise,  fleeing  before  the  fire  with  the  beggar,  and  the  thief,  and  the 
harlot.  All  were  alike.  As  the  names  swept  through  the  city  it 
was  like  the  judgment  day.  The  mayor,  nor  the  mighty  men, 
nor  wise  men  could  stop  these  flames.  They  were  all  on  a  level 
then,  and  many  who  were  worth  hundreds  of  thousands  were  left 
paupers  that  night.  When  the  day  of  judgment  comes,  there  will 
be  no  difference.  When  the  deluge  came  there  was  no  difference ; 
Noah's  ark  was  worth  more  than  all  the  world.  The  day  before,  it 
was  the  world  s  laughing-stock,  and  if  it  had  been  put  up  to  auction, 
you  could  not  have  got  anybody  to  buy  it  except  for  firewood.  But 
the  deluge  came,  and  then  it  was  worth  more  than  all  the  world 
together.  And  when  the  day  of  judgment  comes,  Christ  will  be 
worth  more  than  all  this  world,  more  than  ten  thousand  worlds. 
And  if  it  was  a  terrible  thing  in  the  days  of  Noah  to  die  outside 
the  ark,  it  will  be  far  more  terrible  for  us  to  go  down  in  our  sins 
to  a  Christless  grave. 

Now  I  hope  that  you  have  seen  what  I  have  been  trying  to 
prove — that  we  are  all  sinners  alike.  If  I  ha\e  failed  to  prove 
that,  then  the  meeting  to-night  has  been  a  failure.  I  should  like 
to  use  another  illustration  or  two.  I  should  like  to  make  this  truth 
so  plain  that  a  child  might  know  it.  In  the  olden  times  in  England, 
we  are  told,  they  used  to  have  a  game  of  firing  arrows  through  a 
ring  on  the  top  of  a  pole.  The  man  that  failed  to  get  all  his 
arrows  through  the  ring  was  called  a  "sinner."  Now  I  should 
like  for  a  moment  to  take  up  that  illustration.  Suppose  our  pole 
to  be  up  in  the  gallery,  and  on  the  top  of  it  the  ring.  I  have  got 
ten  arrows,  let  us  say,  and  Mr.  Sankey  has  got  other  ten.  I  take 
up  the  first  arrow,  and  take  a  good  aim.  Alas  !  I  miss  the  mark. 
Therefore  I  am  a  "  sinner."  "  But,"  I  say,  "  I  will  do  the  best  I 
can  with  the  other  nine ;  I  have  only  missed  with  one."  Like 
some  men  who  try  to  keep  all  the  commandments  but  one ! 
I  fire  again,  and  miss  the  mark  a  second  time.  "  Ah,  but,"  I  say, 
"  I  have  got  eight  arrows  still,"  and  away  goes  another  arrow — 
miss !  I  fire  all  the  ten  arrows  and  do  not  get  one  through  the 
ring.  Well,  I  was  a  "sinner"  after  the  first  miss,  and  I  can  only 
be  a  "  sinner  "  after  the  tenth.     Now  Mr.  Sankey  comes  with  his 


"  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE:9  25 

ten  arrows.  He  fires  and  gets  his  first  arrow  through.  "  Do  you 
see  that?"  he  says.  "Well,"  I  reply,  "  go  on  j  don't  boast  until 
you  get  them  all  through."  He  takes  the  second  arrow  and  gets 
that  through.  "  Ha  !  do  you  see  that  ?  "  "  Don't  boast,"  I  repeat, 
"until  all  ten  are  through  ;  "  if  a  man  has  not  broken  the  law  at 
all  then  he  has  got  something  to  boast  of !  Away  goes  the  third, 
and  it  goes  through.  Then  another  and  another  all  right,  and 
another  until  nine  are  through.  "  Now,"  he  says,  "  one  more 
arrow,  and  I  am  not  a  sinner."  He  takes  up  the  last  arrow,  and 
his  hand  trembles  a  little;  he  just  misses  the  mark.  And  he  is  a 
"  sinner  "  as  well  as  I  am.  My  friend,  have  you  never  missed  the 
mark  ?  Have  you  not  come  short  ?  I  should  like  to  see  the  man 
who  never  missed  the  mark.     He  never  lived. 

Let  me  give  you  just  one  more  illustration.  When  Chicago  was 
a  small  town,  it  was  incorporated  and  made  a  city.  When  we  got 
our  charter  for  the  city,  there  was  one  clause  in  the  constitution  that 
allowed  the  Mayor  to  appoint  all  the  police.  It  worked  very  well 
when  it  was  a  small  city ;  but  when  it  had  three  or  four  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  it  put  too  much  power  in  the  hands  of  one 
man.  So  our  leading  citizens  got  a  new  bill  passed  that  took  the 
power  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Mayor,  and  put  it  into  the  hands  of 
Commissioners  appointed  by  Government.  There  was  one  clause 
in  the  new  law  that  no  man  should  be  a  policeman  who  was  not  a 
certain  height— 5  feet  6  inches,  let  us  say.  When  the  Commis- 
sioners got  into  power,  they  advertised  for  men  as  candidates,  and 
in  the  advertisement  they  stated  that  no  man  need  apply  who 
could  not  bring  good  credentials  to  recommend  him.  I  remember 
going  past  the  office  one  day,  and  there  was  a  crowd  of  them 
waiting  to  get  in.  They  quite  blocked  up  the  side  of  the  street ; 
and  they  were  comparing  notes  as  to  their  chances  of  success.  One 
says  to  another,  "  I  have  got  a  good  letter  of  recommendation  from 
the  Mayor,  and  one  from  the  supreme  judge."  Another  says, 
"And  I  have  got  a  good  letter  from  Senator  So-and-so.  I'm  sure 
to  get  in."  The  two  men  come  on  together,  and  lay  their  letters 
down  on  the  Commissioners'  desk.  "Well,"  say  the  officials, 
"  you  have  certainly  a  good  many  letters,  but  we  won't  read  them 
till  we  measure  you."  Ah !  they  forgot  all  about  that.  So  the 
first  man  is  measured,  and  he  is  onlv  rive  feet.     "  No  chance  for 


26  "THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE?* 

you,  sir  5  the  law  says  the  men  must  be  5  feet  6  inches,  and  you 
don't  come  up  to  the  standard."  The  other  says,  "  Well,  my 
chance  is  a  good  deal  better  than  his.  I'm  a  good  bit  taller  than 
he  is'* — he  begins  to  measure  himself  by  the  other  man.  That  is 
what  people  are  always  doing,  measuring  themselves  by  others. 
Measure  yourselves  by  the  law  of  God,  or  by  the  Son  of  God  Him- 
self ;  and  if  you  do  that,  you  will  find  you  have  come  short.  He 
goes  up  to  the  officers,  and  they  measure  him  ;  he  is  5  feet  5  inches 
and  nine-tenths  of  an  inch.  "No  good,"  they  tell  him;  "you're 
not  up  to  the  standard."  "  But  I'm  only  one-tenth  of  an  inch 
short,"  he  remonstrates.  "  It's  no  matter,"  they  say  j  "there's  no 
difference."  He  goes  with  the  man  who  was  five  feet.  One 
comes  short  six  inches,  and  the  other  only  one-tenth  of  an  inch, 
but  the  law  cannot  be  changed.  And  the  law  of  God  is  that  no 
man  shall  go  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  with  one  sin  on  him.  He 
that  has  broken  the  least  law  is  guilty  of  all. 

"  Then,  is  there  any  hope  for  me  ?"  you  say.  "What  star  is  there 
to  relieve  the  midnight  darkness  and  gloom  ?  What  is  to  become 
of  me  ?  If  all  this  is  true,  I  am  a  poor  lost  soul.  I  have  com- 
mitted sin  from  my  earliest  childhood."  Thank  God,  my  friends, 
this  is  just  where  the  gospel  comes  in.  "  He  was  made  sin  for  us 
who  knew  no  sin."  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions  j 
He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  Him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.*'  "  We  all 
like  sheep  have  gone  astray,  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own 
way,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  upon  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 

You  ask  me  what  my  hope  is ;  it  is,  that  Christ  died  for  my 
sins,  in  my  stead,  in  my  place,  and  therefore  I  can  enter  into  life 
eternal.  You  ask  Paul  what  his  hope  was.  "  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scripture."  This  is  the  hope  in  which  died 
all  the  glorious  martyrs  of  old,  in  which  all  who  have  entered 
heaven's  gate  have  found  their  only  comfort.  Take  that  doctrine 
of  substitution  out  of  the  Bible,  and  my  hope  is  lost.  With  the 
law,  without  Christ,  we  are  all  undone.  The  law  we  have  broken, 
and  it  can  only  hang  over  our  head  the  sharp  sword  of  justice. 
Even  if  we  could  keep  it  from  this  moment,  there  remains  the 
unforgiven  past.  "  Without  shedding^  of  blood  there  is  no  re- 
mission." 


"  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE:9  27 

He  only  is  safe  for  eternity  who  is  sheltered  behind  the  finished 
work  of  Christ.  What  the  law  cannot  do  for  us,  He  can  do.  He 
obeyed  it  to  the  very  letter,  and  under  His  obedience  we  can  take 
our  stand.  For  us  He  has  suffered  all  its  penalties,  and  paid  all 
that  the  law  demands.  "  His  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  tree."  He  saw  the  awful  end  from  the  beginning  ; 
He  knew  what  death,  what  ruin,  what  misery  lay  before  us  if  we 
were  left  to  ourselves.  And  He  came  from  heaven  to  teach  us  the 
new  and  living  way  by  which  "  all  that  believe  are  justified  from 
all  things  from  which  they  could  not  be  justified  by  the  law  of 
Moses." 

There  is  a  well-known  story  told  of  Napoleon  the  First's  time. 
In  one  of  the  conscriptions,  during  one  of  his  many  wars,  a  man 
was  balloted  as  a  conscript  who  did  not  want  to  go,  but  he  had  a 
friend  who  offered  to  go  in  his  place.  His  friend  joined  the  regi- 
ment in  his  name,  and  was  sent  off  to  the  war.  By  and  by  a 
battle  came  on,  in  which  be  was  killed,  and  they  buried  him  on  the 
battle-field.  Some  time  after  the  Emperor  wanted  more  men,  and 
by  some  mistake  the  first  man  was  balloted  a  second  time.  They 
went  to  take  him,  but  he  remonstrated.  "  You  cannot  take  me." 
"  Why  not !  "  "  I  am  dead,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  are  not  dead  ; 
you  are  alive  and  well."  "  But  I  am  dead,"  he  said.  "  Why,  man, 
you  must  bemad.  Where  did  you  die  r"  "  At  such  a  battle,  and 
you  left  me  buried  on  such  a  battle-field."  "  You  talk  like  a  mad- 
man," they  cried  j  but  the  man  stuck  to  his  point  that  he  had  been 
dead  and  buried  some  months.  "  You  look  up  your  books,"  he 
said,  "  and  see  if  it  is  not  so."  They  looked,  and  found  that  he 
was  right.  They  found  the  man's  name  entered  as  drafted,  senf 
to  the  war,  and  marked  off  as  killed.  "  Look  here,"  they  said, 
"you  didn't  die ;  you  must  have  got  some  one  to  go  for  you  ;  it 
must  have  been  your  substitute:'  "  I  know  that,"  he  said  ;  "  he 
died  in  my  stead.  You  cannot  touch  me  :  I  died  in  that  man,  and 
I  go  free.  The  law  has  no  claim  against  me."  They  would  not 
recognize  the  doctrine  of  substitution,  and  the  case  was  carried  to 
the  Emperor.  But  he  said  that  the  man  was  right,  that  he  was 
dead  and  buried  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  and  that  France  had  no 
claim  against  him. 

The  story  may  be  true,  or  it  may  not,  but  one  thing  I  know  to 


28  "  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE" 

be  true,  that  the  Emperor  of  heaven  recognizes  the  doctrine  of  sub- 
stitution. Christ  died  for  me  ;  that  is  my  hope  of  eternal  life. 
"There  is  no  condemnation  to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus." 
If  you  ask  me  what  you  must  do  to  share  this  blessing,  I  answer, 
go  and  deal  personally  with  Christ  about  it.  Take  the  sinner's 
place  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  Strip  yourself  of  all  your  own 
righteousness,  and  put  on  Christ's.  Wrap  yourself  up  in  his  per- 
fect robe,  and  receive  Him  by  simple  trust  as  your  own  Saviour. 
Thus  you  inherit  the  priceless  treasures  that  Christ  hath  purchased 
with  his  blood.  "  As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."  Yes,  sons  of  God ;  power  to 
overcome  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ;  power  to  crucify 
every  besetting  sin,  passion,  lust ;  power  to  shout  in  triumph  over 
every  trouble  and  temptation  of  your  life,  "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 

I  have  been  trying  to  tell  you  the  old,  old  tale  that  men  are 
sinners.  I  may  be  speaking  to  some  one,  perhaps,  who  thinks  it  a 
waste  of  time.  '•"  God  knows  I'm  a  sinner,"  he  cries  ;  "you  don't  need 
to  prove  it.  Since  I  could  speak,  I've  done  nothing  but  break  every 
law  of  earth  and  heaven."  Well,  my  friend,  I  have  good  news  for 
you.  It  is  just  as  easy  for  God  to  save  you,  who  have  broken  the 
whole  decalogue,  as  the  man  who  has  only  broken  one  of  the  com- 
mandments. Both  are  dead — dead  in  sins.  It  is  no  matter  how 
dead  you  are,  or  how  long  you  have  been  dead ;  Christ  can  bring 
you  to  life  just  the  same.  There  is  no  difference.  When  Christ 
met  that  poor  widow  coming  out  of  Nain,  following  the  body  of 
her  darling  boy  to  the  grave — he  was  just  newly  dead— His  loving 
heart  could  not  pass  her ;  He  stopped  the  funeral,  and  bade  the 
dead  arise.  He  was  obeyed  at  once,  and  the  mother  was  clasped 
once  more  in  the  living  embrace  of  her  son.  And  when  Jesus 
stood  by  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  who  had  been  dead  Jour  days,  was 
it  not  just  as  easy  for  Him  to  say,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth  "  ?  Was 
it  not  as  easy  for  Him  to  bring  Lazarus  from  his  tomb,  who  had 
been  dead  four  days,  as  the  son  of  the  widow,  who  had  been  dead 
but  one?  Yes,  it  was  just  as  easy  ;  there  was  no  difference.  They 
were  both  alike  dead,  and  Christ  saved  the  one  just  as  easily,  and 
as  willingly,  and  as  lovingly  as  the  other.  And  therefore,  my 
friend,  you  need  not  complain  that  Christ  cannot  save  you.     Why, 


"  THERE  IS  NO  DIFFERENCE."  29 

Christ  died  for  the  ungodly.  And  if  you  turn  to  Him  at  this 
moment  with  an  honest  heart,  and  receive  Him  simply  as  your 
Saviour  and  your  God,  I  have  the  authority  of  his  Word  for  telling 
you  that  He  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 

And  you  who  have  never  felt  the  burden  of  your  sin — you  who 
think  there  is  a  great  deal  of  difference — you  who  thank  God  that 
you  are  not  as  other  men  —beware.  God  has  nothing  to  say  to 
the  self-righteous.  And  unless  you  humble  yourself  before  Him 
in  the  dust,  and  confess  before  Him  your  iniquities  and  sins,  the 
gate  of  heaven,  which  is  open  only  for  sinners,  saved  by  grace,  must 
be  shut  against  you  for  ever. 


III. 

GOOD  NEWS. 


"The  Gospel." — i  Cor.  xv.  I. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  a  word  in  the  English  language  so  little 
understood  as  the  word  "gospel."  We  hear  it  every  day,  and  we 
have  heard  it  from  our  earliest  childhood,  yet  there  are  many  people, 
and  even  many  Christians,  who  do  not  really  know  what  it  means. 
I  believe  I  was  a  child  of  God  along  time  before  I  really  knew. 
The  word  u gospel"  means  "God's  spell,"  or  good  spell,  or,  in 
other  words,  "good  news."  The  gospel  is  good  tidings  of  great 
joy.  No  better  news  ever  came  out  of  heaven  than  the  gospel- 
No  better  news  ever  fell  upon  the  ears  of  the  family  of  man  than 
the  gospel.  When  the  angels  came  down  to  proclaim  the  tidings, 
what  did  they  say  to  those  shepherds  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem  ? 
"  Behold,  I  bring  you  sad  tidings  ?  "  No  !  "  Behold,  I  bring  you 
bad  news  ?  "  No  !  "  Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy. 
which  shall  be  to  all  people  -,  for  unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in  the 
city  of  David,  a  Saviour."  If  those  shepherds  had  been  like  a 
good  many  people  at  the  present  time,  they  would  have  said, 
u  We  do  not  believe  it  is  good  news.  It  is  all  excitement.  These 
angels  want  to  get  up  a  revival.  These  angels  are  trying  to 
excite  us.  Don't  you  believe  them."  That  is  what  Satan  is 
saying  now.  "  Don't  you  believe  the  gospel  is  good  news  ;  it  will 
only  make  you  miserable."  He  knows  the  moment  a  man 
believes  good  news,  he  just  receives  it.  And  no  one  who  is  under 
the  power  of  the  devil  really  believes  that  the  gospel  is  good  news. 
But  these  shepherds  believed  the  message  that  the  angels  brought* 


GOOD  NEWS.  31 

and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  joy.  If  a  boy  came  with  a  de- 
spatch to  some  one  here,  could  you  not  tell  by  the  receiver's  looks 
what  kind  of  a  message  it  was  ?  If  it  brought  good  news  you 
would  see  it  in  his  face  in  a  moment.  If  it  told  him  that  his  boy, 
away  in  some  foreign  land,  a  prodigal  son,  had  come  to  himself, 
like  the  one  in  the  15th  of  Luke,  do  you  not  think  that  father's 
face  would  light  up  with  joy  ?  And  if  his  wife  were  here,  he  would 
not  wait  till  they  got  home,  or  till  she  asked  for  it,  he  would  pass 
it  over  to  her,  and  her  face  would  brighten  too,  as  she  shared  his  joy. 
But  the  tidings  that  the  gospel  brings  are  more  glorious  than  that. 
We  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  the  gospel  offers  life.  We 
are  enemies  to  God,  and  the  gospel  offers  reconciliation.  The 
world  is  in  darkness,  and  the  gospel  offers  light.  Because  man 
will  not  believe  the  gospel  that  Christ  is  the  light  of  the  world, 
the  world  is  dark  to-day.  But  the  moment  a  man  believes,  the 
light  from  Calvary  crosses  his  path  and  he  walks  in  an  unclouded 
sun. 

I  want  to  tell  you  why  I  like  the  gospel.  It  is  because  it  has 
been  the  very  best  news  I  have  ever  heard.  That  is  just  why  I 
like  to  preach  it,  because  it  has  done  me  so  much  good.  No  man 
can  ever  tell  what  it  has  done  for  him,  but  I  think  I  can  tell  what 
it  has  undone.  It  has  taken  out  of  my  path  four  of  the  bitterest 
enemies  I  ever  had. 

There  is  that  terrible  enemy  mentioned  in  1  Cor.  xv.,  the  last 
enemy,  Death.  The  gospel  has  taken  it  out  of  the  way.  My 
mind  very  often  rolls  back  twenty  years  ago,  before  I  was  con- 
verted, and  I  think  how  dark  it  used  to  seem,  as  I  thought  of  the 
future.  I  well  remember  how  I  used  to  look  on  death  as  a 
terrible  monster,  how  he  used  to  throw  his  dark  shadow  across 
my  path ;  how  I  trembled  as  I  thought  of  the  terrible  hour  when 
he  should  come  for  me ;  how  I  thought  I  should  like  to  die  of 
some  lingering  disease,  such  as  consumption,  so  that  I  might 
know  when  he  was  coming.  It  was  the  custom  in  our  village  to 
toll  from  the  old  church  bell  the  age  of  any  one  who  died.  Death 
never  entered  that  village  and  tore  away  one  of  the  inhabitants 
but  I  counted  the  tolling  of  the  bell.  Sometimes  it  was  seventy, 
sometimes  eighty  •  sometimes  it   would  be  away  down  among  the 


\J 


52  GOOD  NEWS. 

teens,  sometimes  it  would  toll  out  the  death  of  some  one  of  my 
awn  age.  It  made  a  solemn  impression  upon  me.  I  felt  a  coward 
then.  I  thought  of  the  cold  hand  of  death  feeling  for  the  cords  of 
life.  I  thought  of  being  launched  forth  to  spend  my  eternity  in 
an  unknown  land. 

As  I  looked  into  the  grave,  and  saw  the  sexton  throw 
the  earth  on  the  coffin-lid,  "  Earth  to  earth  j  ashes  to  ashes  j 
dust  to  dust,"  it  seemed  like  the  death  knell  to  my  soul.  But 
that  is  all  changed  now.  The  grave  has  lost  its  terror.  As  I  go 
on  towards  heaven  I  can  shout,  '*  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  ?  " 
and  I  hear  the  answer  rolling  down  from  Calvary — "  buried  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Son  of  God."  He  took  the  sting  right  out 
of  death  for  me,  and  received  it  into  his  own  bosom.  Take  a 
hornet  and  pluck  the  sting  out ;  you  are  not  afraid  of  it  after  that 
any  more  than  of  a  fly.  So  death  has  lost  its  sting.  That 
last  enemy  has  been  overcome,  and  I  can  look  on  death  as  a 
crushed  victim.  All  that  death  can  get  now  is  this  old  Adam,  and 
I  do  not  care  how  quickly  I  get  rid  of  it.  I  shall  get  a  glorified 
body,  a  resurrection  body,  a  body  much  better  than  this.  Suppose 
death  should  come  stealing  up  into  this  pulpit,  and  lay  his  icy  hand 
upon  my  heart,  and  it  should  cease  to  throb,  I  should  rise  to  the 
better  world  to  be  present  with  the  King.  The  gospel 
has  made  an  enemy  a  friend.  What  a  glorious  thought, 
that  when  you  die  you  but  sink  into  the  arms  of  Jesus,  to 
be  borne  to  the  land  of  everlasting  rest !  "  To  die,"  the 
apostle  says,  "  is  gain."  I  can  imagine  when  they  laid  our  Lord 
in  Joseph's  tomb  one  might  have  seen  death  sitting  over  that 
sepulchre,  saying,  "  I  have  Him  j  He  is  my  victim.  He  said  He 
was  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  Now  I  hold  Him  in  my  cold 
embrace.  They  thought  He  was  never  going  to  die  ;  but  see  Him 
now.  He  has  had  to  pay  tribute  to  me."  Never  !  The  glorious 
morning  comes,  the  Son  of  man  bursts  asunder  the  bands  of  death, 
and  rises,  a  Conqueror,  from  the  grave.  "  Because  I  live,"  He 
shouts,  "  ye  shall  live  also."  Yes,  ye  shall  live  also— is  it  not  good 
news  ?  Ah,  my  friends,  there  is  no  bad  news  about  a  gospel 
which  makes  it  so  sweet  to  live,  so  sweet  to  die. 

Another  terrible  enemy  that  troubled  me  was  Sin.     What  a 
terrible  hour  I  thought  it  would  be,  when  my  sins  from  childhood, 


GOOD  NEWS.  33 

every  secret  thought,  every  evil  desire,  everything  done  in  the  dark, 
should  be  brought  to  the  light,  and  spread  out  before  an  assembled 
universe !  Thank  God,  these  thoughts  are  gone.  The  gospel 
tells  me  my  sins  are  all  put  away  in  Christ.  Oat  of  love  to  me 
He  has  taken  all  my  sins  and  cast  them  behind  his  back.  That 
is  a  safe  place  for  them.  God  never  turns  back  ;  He  always 
marches  on.  He  will  never  see  your  sins  if  they  are  behind  his 
back — that  is  one  of  his  own  illustrations.  Satan  has  to  get  behind 
God  to  find  them.  How  far  away  are  they,  and  can  they  ever  come 
back  again  ?  "  As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west,  so  far  hath  He 
removed  our  transgressions  from  us."  Not  some  of  them;  He  takes 
them  all  away.  You  may  pile  up  your  sins  till  they  rise  like  a 
dark  mountain,  and  then  multiply  them  by  ten  thousand  for  those 
you  cannot  think  of  j  and  after  you  have  tried  to  enumerate  all  the 
sins  you  have  ever  committed,  just  let  me  bring  one  verse  in,  and 
that  mountain  will  melt  away :  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his 
Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  In  Ireland,  some  time  ago,  a 
teacher  asked  a  little  boy  if  there  was  anything  God  could  not  do ; 
and  the  little  fellow  said,  "  Yes  j  He  cannot  see  my  sins  through 
the  blood  of  Christ."  That  is  ^ust  what  He  cannot  do.  The  blood 
covers  them.  Is  it  not  gooa  news  that  you  can  get  rid  of  sin  ? 
You  come  to  Christ  a  sinner,  and  if  you  receive  his  gospel  your 
sins  are  taken  away.  You  are  invited  to  do  this ;  nay,  He  entreats 
you  to  do  it.  You  are  invited  to  make  an  exchange  j  to  get  rid  of 
all  your  sins,  and  to  take  Christ  and  his  righteousness  in  the  place 
of  them.     Is  not  that  good  news  ? 

There  is  another  enemy  which  used  to  trouble  me  a  great  deal 
— Judgment.  I  used  to  look  forward  to  the  terrible  day  when  I 
should  be  summoned  before  God.  I  could  not  tell  whether  I 
should  hear  the  voice  of  Christ  saying,  "  Depart  from  Me,  ye 
cursed,"  or  whether  it  would  be,  "  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."  And  I  thought  that  till  he  stood  before  the  great  white 
throne  no  man  could  tell  whether  he  was  to  be  on  the  right  hand 
or  the  left.  But  the  gospel  tells  me  that  is  already  settled  :  "  There 
is  now  no  condemnation  to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus." 
"  Verily,  verily  " — and  when  you  see  that  word  in  Scripture,  you 
may  know  there  is  something  very  important  coming — "  Verily, 

3 


34  GOOD  NEWS. 

verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth  on 
Him  that  sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into 
condemnation,  but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life."  Well,  now,  / 
am  not  coming  into  judgment  for  sin.  It  is  no  open  question. 
God's  word  has  settled  it.  Christ  was  judged  for  me,  and  died  in 
my  stead,  and  I  go  free.  He  that  believeth  hath — h-a-t-h,  hath. 
Is  not  that  good  news  ?  A  man  prayed  for  me  the  other  day  that 
I  might  obtain  eternal  life  at  last.  I  could  not  have  said  Amen  to 
that.  If  he  meant  it  in  this  sense,  I  obtained  eternal  life  many 
years  ago,  when  I  was  converted.  What  is  the  gift  of  God,  if  it  is 
not  eternal  life  ?  And  what  makes  the  gospel  such  good  news  ? 
Is  it  not  that  it  offers  eternal  life  to  every  poor  sinner  who  will 
take  it  ?  If  an  angel  came  straight  from  the  throne  of  God,  and 
proclaimed  that  God  had  sent  him  here  to  offer  us  any  one. thing 
we  might  ask — that  each  one  should  have  his  own  petition  granted 
— what  would  be  your  cry  ?  There  would  be  but  one  response, 
and  the  cry  would  make  heaven  ring  :  "Eternal  life  !  eternal  life  !  " 
Everything  else  would  float  away  into  nothingness.  It  is  life  men 
want,  men  value  most.  Let  a  man  worth  a  million  dollars  be  on 
a  wrecked  vessel,  and  if  he  could  just  save  his  life  for  six  months 
by  giving  that  million,  he  would  give  it  in  an  instant.  But  the 
gospel  is  not  a  six  months'  gift.  "  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life." 
And  is  it  not  one  of  the  greatest  marvels  that  men  have  to  stand 
and  plead,  and  pray  and  beseech  their  fellow-men  to  take  this  pre- 
cious gift  of  God  ? 

My  friends,  there  is  one  spot  on  earth  where  the  fear  of  Death, 
of  Sin,  and  of  Judgment,  need  never  trouble  us,  the  only  safe 
spot  on  earth  where  the  sinner  can  stand—  Calvary.  Out  in  our 
western  country,  in  the  autumn,  when  men  go  hunting,  and  there 
has  not  been  any  rain  for  months,  sometimes  the  prairie  grass 
catches  fire.  Sometimes,  when  the  wind  is  strong,  the  flames 
may  be  seen  rolling  along,  twenty  feet  high,  destroying  man  and 
beast  in  their  onward  rush.  When  the  frontiersmen  see  what 
is  coming,  what  do  they  do  to  escape?  They  know  they  can- 
not run  as  fast  as  that  fire  can  run.  Not  the  fleetest  horse  can 
escape  it.  They  just  take  a  match  and  light  the  grass  around 
them.  The  flames  sweep  onwards ;  they  take  their  stand  in  the 
burnt  district,  and  are  safe.     They  hear  the  flames  roar  as  they 


GOOD  NEWS.  35 

come  along ;  they  see  death  bearing  down  upon  them  with  resist- 
less fury,  but  they  do  not  fear.  They  do  not  even  tremble  as  the 
ocean  of  flame  surges  around  them,  for  over  the  place  where  they 
stand  the  fire  has  already  passed,  and  there  is  no  danger.  There  is 
nothing  for  the  fire  to  burn.  And  there  is  one  spot  on  earth  that 
God  has  swept  over.  Eighteen  hundred  years  ago  the  storm  burst 
on  Calvary,  and  the  Son  of  God  took  it  into  his  own  bosom,  and 
now,  if  we  take  our  stand  by  the  Cross,  we  are  safe  for  time  and 
for  eternity. 

Sinner,  would  you  be  safe  to-night  ?  Would  you  be  free  from 
the  condemnation  of  the  sins  that  are  past,  from  the  power  of  the 
temptations  that  are  to  come  ?  _Then  take  your  stand  on  the  Rock 
of  Ages.  Let  death,  let  the  grave,  let  the  judgment  come,  the 
victory  is  Christ's,  and  yours  through  Him.  Oh,  will  you  not 
receive  this  gospel  to-night — this  wonderful  message  of  his  sacrifice 
for  you  ? 

Some  people,  when  the  gospel  is  preached,  put  on  a  long 
face,  as  if  they  had  to  attend  a  funeral  or  witness  an  execution, 
or  hear  some  dry,  stupid  lecture  or  sermon.  It  was  my  pri- 
vilege to  go  into  Richmond  with  General  Grant's  army.  I 
had  not  been  long  there  before  it  was  announced  that  the 
negroes  were  going  to  have  a  jubilee  meeting.  These  coloured 
people  were  just  coming  into  liberty  j  their  chains  were  falling  off, 
and  they  were  just  awakening  to  the  fact  that  they  were  free.  I 
thought  it  would  be  a  great  event,  and  I  went  down  to  the  African 
Church,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  South,  and  found  it  crowded. 
One  of  the  coloured  chaplains  of  a  northern  regiment  had  offered  to 
speak.  I  have  heard  many  eloquent  men  in  Europe  and  in  America 
but  I  do  not  think  I  ever  heard  eloquence  such  as  I  heard  that  day 
He  said,  "  Mothers !  you  rejoice  to-day  ;  you  are  for  ever  free  !  That 
little  child  has  been  torn  from  vour  embrace,  and  sold  off  to  some 
distant  state  for  the  last  time.  Your  hearts. are  never  to  be  broken 
again  in  that  way  ;  you  are  free/'  The  women  clapped  their  hands 
and  shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  "  Glory,  glory  to  God !  " 
It  was  good  news  to  them,  and  they  believed  it.  It  filled  them  full 
of  joy.  Then  he  turned  to  the  young  men,  and  said,  u  Young 
men !  you  rejoice  to-day  j  you  have  heard  the  crack  of  the  slave- 
driver's  whip  for  the  last  time  -,  your  posterity  shall  be  free  \  young 


36  GOOD  NEWS. 

men  rejoice  to-day,  you  are  for  ever  free  !"  And  they  clapped  their 
hands,  and  shouted,  "  Glory  to  God!  "  They  believed  the  good 
tidings.  "  Young  maidens  !  "  he  said,  "  you  rejoice  to-day.  You 
have  been  put  on  the  auction-block  and  sold  for  the  last  time  ;  you 
are  free — for  ever  free !  "  They  believed  it,  and  lifting  up  their 
voices,  shouted,  "  Glory  be  to  God  !  "  I  never  was  in  such  a 
meeting.     They  believed  that  it  was  good  news  to  them. 

My  friends,  I  bring  you  better  tidings  than  that.  No  coloured 
man  or  woman  ever  had  such  a  mean,  wicked,  cruel  master  as 
those  that  are  serving  Satan.  Do  I  speak  to  a  man  who  is  a  slave 
to  strong  drink  ?  Christ  can  give  you  strength  to  hurl  the  cup 
from  you,  and  make  you  a  sober  man,  a  loving  husband,  a  kind 
father.  Yes,  poor  wife  of  the  drunkard,  He  gives  you  good 
news  ;  your  husband  may  become  a  sober  man  again.  And  you, 
poor  sinner,  you  who  have  been  so  rebellious  and  wayward,  the 
gospel  brings  a  message  of  forgiveness  to  you.  God  wants  you  to 
be  reconciled  to  Him.  "  Be  ye  reconciled  unto  God."  It  is  his 
message  to  you — a  message  of  friendship.  Here  is  a  little  story 
of  reconciliation  which  I  was  told  lately  j  perhaps  it  mav  help  you 
a  little  :— 

There  was  an  Englishman  who  had  an  only  son ;  and  only  sons 
are  often  petted,  and  humoured,  and  ruined.  This  boy  became 
very  headstrong,  and  very  often  he  and  his  father  had  trouble. 
One  day  they  had  a  quarrel,  and  the  father  was  very  angry,  and  so 
was  the  son ;  and  the  father  said  he  wished  the  boy  would  leave 
home  and  never  come  back.  The  boy  said  he  would  go,  and 
would  not  come  into  his  father's  house  again  till  he  sent  for  him. 
The  father  said  he  would  never  send  for  him.  Well,  away  went 
the  boy.  But  when  a  father  gives  up  a  boy,  a  mother  does  not. 
You  mothers  will  understand  that,  but  the  fathers  may  not.  You 
know  there  is  no  love  on  earth  so  strong  as  a  mother's  love.  A 
great  many  things  may  separate  a  man  and  his  wife  j  a  great  many 
things  may  separate  a  father  from  a  son ;  but  there  is  nothing  in 
the  wide  world  that  can  ever  separate  a  true  mother  from  her  child. 
To  be  sure,  there  are  some  mothers  that  have  drunk  so  much 
liquor,  that  they  have  drunk  up  all  their  affection.  But  I  am 
talking  about  a  true  mother  j  and  shewoulu  never  cast  off  her  boy. 

Well,  the  mother  began  to  write,  and  plead  with  the  boy  to 


GOOD  NEWS.  37 

write  to  his  father  first,  and  he  would  forgive  him  ;  but  the  boy 
said,  "I  will  never  go  home  till  fame*  asks  me."  Then  she 
pled  with  the  father,  but  the  father  sau»,  "  No,  I  will  never  ask 
him."  At  last  the  mother  came  down  to  her  sick-bed,  broken- 
hearted, and  when  she  was  given  up  by  the  physicians  to  die,  the 
husband,  anxious  to  gratify  her  last  wish,  wanted  to  know  if  there 
was  nothing  he  could  do  for  her  before  she  died.  The  mother 
gave  him  a  look  j  he  well  knew  what  it  meant.  Then  she  said, 
"  Yes,  there  is  one  thing  you  can  do.  You  can  send  for  my  boy. 
That  is  the  only  wish  on  earth  you  can  gratify.  If  you  do  not 
pity  him  and  love  him  when  I  am  dead  and  gone,  who  will  ? " 
"Well,"  said  the  father,  "I  will  send  word  to  him  that  you  want 
to  see  him."  "No,"  she  says,  "you  know  he  will  not  come  for 
me.  If  ever  I  see  him  you  must  send  for  him."  At  last  the 
father  went  to  his  office  and  wrote  a  despatch  in  his  own  name, 
asking  the  boy  to  come  home.  As.  soon  as  he  got  the  invitation 
from  his  father  he  started  off  to  see  his  dying  mother.  When  he 
opened  the  door  to  go  in  he  found  his  mother  dying,  and  his  father 
by  the  bedside.  The  father  heard  the  door  open,  and  saw  the  boy, 
but  instead  of  going  to  meet  him  he  went  to  another  part  of  the 
room,  and  refused  to  speak  to  him.  His  mother  seized  his  hand- 
how  she  had  longed  to  press  it !  She  kissed  him,  and  then  said, 
"  Now,  my  son,  just  speak  to  your  father.  You  speak  first,  and  it 
will  all  be  over."  But  the  boy  said,  "No,  mother,  I  will  not 
speak  to  him  until  he  speaks  to  me."  She  took  her  husband's 
hand  in  one  hand  and  the  boy's  in  the  other,  and  spent  her  dying 
moments  in  trying  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  Then  just  as 
she  was  expiring — she  could  not  speak — so  she  put  the  hand  of 
the  wayward  boy  into  the  hand  of  the  father,  and  passed  away  ! 
The  boy  looked  at  the  mother,  and  the  father  at  the  wife,  and  at 
last  the  father's  heart  broke,  and  he  opened  his  arms,  and  took 
that  boy  to  his  bosom,  and  by  that  body  they  were  reconciled. 
Sinner,  that  is  only  a  faint  type,  a  poor  illustration,  because  God  is 
not  angry  with  you.  I.  bring  you  to-night  to  the  dead  body  of 
Christ.  I  ask  you  to  look  at  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and  feet, 
and  the  wound  in  his  side.  And  I  ask  you,  "  Will  you  not  be 
reconciled  ? "  When  He  left  heaven,  He  went  down  into  the 
manger  that  He  might  get  hold  of  the  vilest  sinner,  and  put  the 


38  GOOD  NEWS, 

Hand  of  the  wayward  prodigal  into  that  of  the  Father,  and  He  died 
that  you  and  I  might  be  reconciled.  If  you  take  my  advice  you 
will  not  sleep  to-night  until  you  are  reconciled.  "  Be  ye  recon- 
ciled." Oh.  this  gospel  of  reconciliation  !  My  friends,  is  it  not  a 
^lad  gospel  ? 

And  then  it  is  a  free  gospel ;  any  one  may  have  it.  You  need 
not  ask,  "  For  whom  is  this  good  news."  It  is  for  yourself.  If 
vou  would  like  Christ's  own  word  for  it,  come  with  me  to  that 
scene  in  Jerusalem  where  the  disciples  are  bidding  II im  farewell. 
Calvary  with  all  its  horrors  is  behind  Him ;  Gethsemane  is  over, 
and  Pilate's  judgment  hall.  He  has  passed  the  grave,  and  is 
about  to  take  his  place  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  Around 
Him  stands  his  little  band  of  disciples,  the  little  church  He  was 
to  leave  behind  Him  to  be  his  witnesses.  The  hour  of  parting  has 
come,  and  He  has  some  "  last  words  "  for  them.  Is  He  thinking 
about  Himself  in  these  closing  moments  ?  Is  He  thinking  about 
the  throne  that  is  waiting  Him,  and  the  Father's  smile  that  will 
welcome  Him  to  heaven  ?  Is  He  going  over  in  memory  the  scenes 
of  the  past ;  or  is  He  thinking  of  the  friends  who  have  followed 
Him  so  far,  who  will  miss  Him  so  much  when  He  is  gone  ?  No, 
He  is  thinking  about  you.  You  imagined  He  would  think  of 
those  who  loved  Him  ?  No,  sinner,  He  thought  of  you  then.  He 
thought  of  his  enemies,  those  who  shunned  Him,  those  who  de- 
spised Him,  those  who  killed  Him — He  thought  what  mote  He 
could  do  for  them.  He  thought  of  those  who  would  hate  Him,  of 
those  who  would  have  none  of  his  gospel,  o  f  those  who  would  say 
\t  was  too  good  to  be  true,  of  those  who  would  make  excuse  that 
He  never  died  for  them.  And  then  turning  to  his  disciples,  his 
heart  just  bursting  with  compassion,  He  gives  them  his  farewell 
charge,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature."  They  are  almost  his  last  words,  "to  every 
creature." 

I  can  imagine  Peter  saying,  "  Lord,  do  you  really  mean  that  we 
shall  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature?"  "Yes,  Peter." 
"  Shall  we  go  back  to  Jerusalem  and  preach  the  gospel  to  those 
Terusalem  sinners  who  murdered  you  ?  "  "Yes,  Peter,  go  back 
and  tarry  there  until  you  are  endued  with  power  from  on  high. 


GOOD  NEWS. 

Offer  the  gospel  to  them  first.  Go  search  out  that  man  who  spat 
in  my  face ;  tell  him  I  forgive  him  j  there  is  nothing  in  my  heart 
but  love  for  him.  Go,  search  out  the  man  who  put  that  cruel 
crown  of  thorns  on  my  brow ;  tell  him  I  will  have  a  crown  ready 
for  him  in  my  kingdom,  if  he  will  accept  salvation ;  there  shall  not 
be  a  thorn  in  it,  and  he  shall  wear  it  for  ever  and  ever  in  the 
kingdom  of  his  Redeemer.  Find  out  that  man  who  took  the  reed 
from  my  hand,  and  smote  my  head,  driving  the  thorns  deeper  into 
my  brow.  If  he  will  accept  salvation  as  a  gift,  I  will  give  him  a 
sceptre,  and  he  shall  sway  it  over  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Yes, 
I  will  give  him  to  sit  with  Me  upon  my  throne.  Go,  seek  that 
man  who  struck  Me  with  the  palm  of  his  hand;  find  him,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  him  ;  tell  him  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin,  and  my  blood  was  shed  for  him  freely." 
Yes,  I  can  imagine  Him  saying,  "  Go,  seek  out  that  poor  soldier 
who  drove  the  spear  into  my  side  3  tell  him  that  there  is  a  nearer 
way  to  my  heart  than  that.  Tell  him  that  I  forgive  him  freely  j 
and  tell  him  I  will  make  him  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  and  my  banner 
over  him  shall  be  love." 

I  thank  God  that  the  gospel  is  to  be  preached  to  every  creature. 
I  thank  God  the  commission  is  so  free.  There  is  no  man  so  far 
gone,  but  the  grace  of  God  can  reach  him ;  no  man  so  desperate  or 
so  black,  but  He  can  forgive  him.  Yes,  I  thank  God  I  can  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  man  or  the  woman  who  is  as  black  as  hell  itself. 
I  thank  God  for  the  "  whosoevers  "  of  the  invitations  of  Christ. 
"  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life,"  and  "  IVhosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

I  heard  of  a  woman  once  who  thought  there  was  no  promise  in 
the  Bible  for  her,  they  were  all  for  other  people.  One  day  she  got 
a  letter,  and  when  she  opened  it,  found  it  was  not  for  her  at  all, 
but  for  some  other  woman  of  the  same  name.  It  led  her  to  ask 
herself,  "  If  I  should  find  some  promise  in  the  Bible  directed  to 
me,  how  should  I  know  that  it  meant  me,  and  not  some  other 
woman  ?  "  And  she  found  out  that  she  must  just  take  God  at  his 
word,  and  include  herself  among  the  "  whosoevers  "  and  the  "  every 
creatures  "  to  whom  the  gospel  is  freely  preached.  I  know  that 
word  "whosoever"  means  every  man,  every  woman,  every  child 


40  GOOD  NEWS. 

in  this  wide  world.  It  means  that  boy  down  there,  that  grey- 
haired  man,  that  maiden  in  the  blush  of  youth,  that  young  man 
breaking  a  mother's  heart,  that  drunkard  steeped  in  misery  and  sin. 
Oh,  my  friends,  will  you  not  believe  this  good  news  ?  Will  you 
not  receive  this  wonderful  gospel  of  Christ  ?  Will  you  not  believe, 
poor  sinner,  that  it  means  you  ?  Will  you  say  it  is  too  good  to  be 
true  ? 

I  was  in  Ohio  a  few  years  ago,  and  was  invited  to  preach  in  the 
State  prison.  Eleven  hundred  convicts  were  brought  into  the 
chapel,  and  all  sat  in  front  of  me.  After  I  had  got  through  the 
preaching,  the  chaplain  said  to  me  :  "  Mr.  Moody,  I  want  to  tell 
you  of  a  scene  which  occurred  in  this  room.  A  few  years  ago,  our 
commissioners  went  to  the  governor  of  the  State,  and  got  him  to 
promise  that  he  would  pardon  five  men  for  good  behaviour.  The 
governor  consented,  with  this  understanding — that  the  record  was 
to  be  kept  secret,  and  that  at  the  end  of  six  months  the  five  men 
highest  on  the  roll  should  receive  a  pardon,  regardless  of  who  or 
what  they  were.  At  the  end  of  six  months  the  prisoners  were  all 
brought  into  the  chapel  j  the  commissioners  came  up,  and  the 
President  stood  up  on  the  platform,  and  putting  his  hand  in  his 
pocket,  brought  out  some  papers,  and  said,  '  I  hold  in  my  hand* 
pardons  for  five  men.'  "  The  chaplain  told  me  he  never  witnessed 
anything  on  earth  like  it.  Every  man  was  as  still  as  death  j  many 
tvere  deadly  pele,  and  the  suspense  was  awful ;  it  seemed  as  if 
every  heart  had  ceased  to  beat.  The  commissioner  went  on  to  tell 
them  how  they  had  got  the  pardon  j  but  the  chaplain  interrupted 
him.  "  Before  you  make  your  speech,  read  out  the  names.  This 
suspense  is  awful."  So  he  read  out  the  first  name,  "  Reuben 
Johnson  will  come  and  get  his  pardon  jr'  and  he  held  it  out,  but 
none  came  forward.  He  said  to  the  governor,  "Are  all  the 
prisoners  here?"  The  governor  told  him  they  were  all  there. 
Then  he  said  again,  "  Reuben  Johnson  will  come  and  get  his 
pardon.  It  is  signed  and  sealed  by  the  governor.  He  is  a  free 
man."  Not  one  moved.  The  chaplain  told  me  he  looked  right 
down  where  Reuben  was ;  he  was  well  known  j  he  had  been  nine- 
teen years  there,  and  many  were  looking  round  to  see  him  spring  • 
to  his  feet.  But  he  himself  waslooking  round  to  see  the  fortunate 
man  who  had  got  his  pardon.     Finally  the  chaplain  caught  his  eye 


GOOD  NEWS.  41 

and  said,  ''Reuben,  you  are  the  man."  Reuben  turned  round  and 
looked  behind  him  to  see  where  Reuben  was.  The  chaplain  said 
the  second  time,  "  Reuben,  you  are  the  man  5"  and  the  second 
time  he  looked  round,  thinking  it  must  be  some  other  Reuben.  So 
men  do  not  believe  the  gospel  is  for  them.  They  think  it  is  too 
good,  and  pass  it  over  their  shoulders  to  the  next  man.  But  you 
are  the  man  to-night.  Well,  the  chaplain  could  see  where  Reuben 
was,  and  he  had  to  say  three  times,  "  Reuben,  come  and  get  your 
pardon."  At  last  the  truth  began  to  steal  over  the  old  man ;  he 
got  up  and  came  along  down  the  hall,  trembling  from  head  to  foot, 
and  when  he  got  the  pardon  he  looked  at  it,  and  went  back  to  his 
seat,  and  buried  his  face  'in  his  hands,  and  wept.  When  the 
prisoners  got  into  the  ranks  to  go  back  to  the  cells,  Reuben  got 
into  the  ranks  too,  and  the  chaplain  had  to  call  to  him,  "  Reuben, 
get  out  of  the  ranks  j  you  are  a  free  man,  you  are  no  longer  a 
prisoner."  And  Reuben  stepped  out  of  the  ranks.  He  was  free! 
That  is  the  way  men  make  out  pardons.  They  make  them  out  for 
good  character  or  good  behaviour.  But  God  makes  out  pardons 
for  men  who  have  not  got  any  character,  who  have  been  very,  very 
bad.  He  offers  a  pardon  to  every  sinner  on  earth  if  he  will 
take  it.  I  do  not  care  who  he  is  or  what  he  is  like.  He  may  be 
the  greatest  libertine  that  ever  walked  the  streets,  or  the  greatest 
blackguard  who  ever  lived,  or  the  greatest  drunkard,  or  thief,  or 
vagabond  ;  but  I  come  to-night  with  glad  tidings,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature. 


rv. 

CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

"  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost." — Luke  xix.  io. 


To  me  this  is  one  of  the  sweetest  verses  in  the  whole  Bible.  In 
this  one  little  short  sentence  we  are  told  what  Christ  came  into 
this  world  for.  He  came  for  a  purpose ;  He  came  to  do  a  work, 
and  in  this  little  verse  the  whole  story  is  told.  He  came  not  to 
condemn  the  world,  but  that  the  world,  through  Him,  might  be 
saved. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  Prince  of  Wales  came  to  America,  and 
there  was  great  excitement  about  this  Crown  Prince  coming 
to  our  country.  The  papers  took  it  up,  and  began  to  discuss 
it,  and  a  great  many  were  wondering  what  he  came  for.  Was 
it  to  look  into  the  republican  government?  Was  it  for  his 
health  ?  Was  it  to  see  our  institutions  ?  or  for  this,  or  for  that  ? 
He  came,  and  went,  but  he  never  told  us  what  he  came  for.  But 
when  the  Prince  of  Heaven  came  down  into  this  world,  He  told 
us  what  He  came  for.  God  sent  Him,  and  He  came  to  do  the 
will  of  His  Father.  What  was  that  ?  "  To  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  And  you  cannot  find  any  place  in  Scripture 
where  a  man  was  ever  sent  by  God  to  do  a  work  in  which  he 
failed.  God  sent  Moses  to  Egypt  to  bring  three  millions  of  bond- 
men up  out  of  the  house  of  bondage  into  the  promised  land.  Did 
he  fail  ?  It  looked,  at  first,  as  if  he  were  going  to.  If  we  had  been 
in  the  Court  when  Pharaoh  said  to  Moses,  "  Who  is  God,  that  I 
should  obey  Him?"  and  ordered  him  out  of  his  presence,  we 
might  have  thought  it  meant  failure.  But  did  it?  God  sent 
Elijah  to  stand  before  Ahab,  and  it  was  a  bold  thing  when  he  told 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  43 

him  there  should  be  neither  dew  nor  rain  ;  but  didn't  he  lock  up 
the  heavens  for  three  years  and  six  months  ?  Now  here  is  God 
sending  his  own  beloved  Son  from  his  bosom,  from  the  throne, 
down  into  this  world.  Do  you  think  He  is  going  to  fail?  Thanks 
be  to  God,  He  can  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  there  is  not  a  man  in 
this  city  who  may  not  rind  it  so,  if  he  is  willing  to  be  saved. 

I  rind  a  great  blessing  to  myself  in  taking  up  a  passage  like 
this,  and  looking  all  round  it,  to  see  what  brought  it  out.  If  you 
lookback  to  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  chapter,  you  will  rind  Christ 
coming  near  the  city  of  Jericho.  And,  sitting  by  the  wayside, 
was  a  poor,  blind  beggar.  Perhaps  he  has  been  there  for  years, 
led  out,  it  may  be,  by  one  of  his  children,  or  perhaps,  as  we  some- 
times see,  he  had  got  a  dog  to  lead  him  out.  There  he  had  sat 
for  years,  and  his  cry  had  been,  "  Please  give  a  poor,  blind  man  a 
.-arming."  One  day,  as  he  was  sitting  there,  a  man  came  down 
from  Jerusalem,  and  seeing  the  poor  blind  man,  took  his  seat  by 
his  side,  and  said,  "Bartimeus,  I  have  good  news  for  you." 
"What  is  it?  "  said  the  blind  beggar.  "There  is  a  man  in  Israel 
who  is  able  to  give  you  sight."  "  Oh  no,"  said  the  blind  beggar, 
"  there  is  no  chance  of  my  ever  receiving  sight.  I  was  born  blind, 
and  nobody  born  blind  ever  got  sight.  I  shall  never  see  in  this 
world  j  I  may  in  the  world  to  come,  but  I  must  go  through  this 
world  blind."  "But,"  said  the  man,  "let  me  tell  you,  I  was  at 
Jerusalem  the  other  day,  and  the  great  Galilean  prophet  was  there, 
and  I  saw  a  man  who  was  born  blind  that  had  received  his  sight  j 
and  I  never  saw  a  man  with  better  sight.  He  does  not  need  to 
use  glasses  5  he  can  see  quite  clear."  Then  for  the  first  time,  hope 
rises  in  the  poor  man's  heart,  and  he  asks  "  How  was  it  done  ?  " 
"  Why,  Jesus  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  some  clay,  and 
anointed  his  eyes,''  (why,  that  is  enough  to  put  a  man's  sight  out, 
even  if  he  can  see  !)  "  and  sent  him  to  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloarm 
and  while  he  was  doing  so,  he  got  two  good  eyes.  Yes,  it  is  so. 
I  talked  with  him,  and  I  didn't  see  a  man  in  all  Jerusalem  who 
had  better  sight."  "What  did  He  charge?"  says  Bartimeus. 
"  Nothing.  There  was  no  fee  or  doctor's  bill  j  he  got  his  sight 
for  nothing.  You  just  tell  Him  what  you  want ;  you  don't  need 
to  have  an  influential  committee  to  call  on  Him,  or  any  important 
deputation.     The  poor  have  as  much  influence  with  Him  as  the 


44  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

rich;  all  are  alike."  "What  is  his  name?"  asks  Bartimeus. 
u  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  And  if  He  ever  comes  this  way,  don't  you 
let  Him  by,  without  getting  your  case  laid  before  Him."  And  the 
blind  man  says  "That  you  may  be  sure  of;  He  shall  never  pass 
this  way  without  my  seeking  Him." 

A  day  or  two  after,  he  is  led  out,  and  takes  his  seat  at  the  usual 
place,  still  crying  out  for  money.  All  at  once,  he  hears  the  foot- 
steps of  a  coming  multitude,  and  begins  to  cry,  "  Who  is  it  ?  " 
"Tell  me,  who  is  it?  "  Some  one  said  it  was  Jesus  ot  Nazareth 
that  was  passing  by.  The  moment  he  hears  that,  he  says  to  him- 
self, "  Why,„that  is  the  man  who  gives  sight  to  the  blind,"  and  he 
lifted  up  his  cry,  "  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  upon 
me !  V  I  don't  know  who  it  was — perhaps  it  was  Peter — who 
said  to  the  man,  "  Hush  !  keep  still."  He  thought  the  Lord  was 
going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  be  crowned  King,  and  He  would  not  like 
to  be  disturbed  by  a  poor  blind  beggar.  Oh  they  did  not  know 
the  Son  of  God  when  He  was  here  !  He  would  hush  every  harp 
in  heaven  to  hear  a  sinner  pray;  no  music  delights  Him  so 
much.  But  Bartimeus  lifted  up  his*  voice  louder,'  "  Thou  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  me."  His  prayer  reached  the  ear  of  the 
Son  of  God,  as  prayer  always  will>  and  His  footsteps  were  arrested. 
He  told  them  to  bring  the  man.  "  Bartimeus,"  they  said,  "  be  of 
good  cheer,  arise,  He  calleth  thee ;  "  and  He  never  called  any  one, 
but  He  had  something  good  in  store  for  him.  Oh,  sinner  !  remem- 
ber that  to-night.  They  led  the  blind  man  to  Jesus.  The  Lord 
says,  "  What  shall  1  do  for  you  ?  "  "  Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my 
sight."  "You  shall  have  it,"  the  Lord  said;  and  straightway  his 
eyes  were  opened. 

I  should  have  liked  to  have  been  there,  to  see  that  wonderful  scene. 
The, first  object  that  met  his  gaze  was  the  Son  of  God  Himself, 
and  now  among  the  shouting  multitude,  no  one  shouts  louder  than 
the  poor  blind  man  that  has  got  his  sight.  He  glorifies  God,  and 
I  fancy  I  can  hear  him  shouting  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David," 
more  sweetly  than  Mr.  Sankey  can  sing. 

Pardon  me,  if  I  now  draw  a  little  on  my  imagination. 
Bartimeus  gets  into  Jericho,  and  he  says,  "  I  will  go  and  see 
my  wife,  and  tell  her  about  it."  A  young  convert  always 
wants  to   talk   to  his   friends    about  salvation.      Away   he  goes 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  45 

down  the  street,  and  he  meets  a  man  who  passes  him,  goes 
on  a  few  yards,  and  then  turns  round  and  says,  "  Bartimeus? 
is  that  you?"  "Yes."  "Well,  I  thought  it  was,  but  I  could 
not  believe  my  eyes.  How  have  you  got  your  sight?"  "Oh, 
I  just  met  Jesus  of  Nazareth  outside  the  city,  and  asked  Him 
to  have  mercy  on  me."  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth  !  What,  is  He  in 
this  part  of  the  country  ? "  "Yes.  He  is  right  here  in  Jericho. 
He  is  now  going  down  to  the  western  gate."  "I  should  like  to 
see  Him,"  says  the  man,  and  away  he  runs  down  the  street  5  but 
he  cannot  catch  a  glimpse  of  Him,  even  though  he  stands  on  tip- 
toe, being  little  of  stature,  and  on  account  of  the  great  throng 
around  Him.  "Well,"  he  says,  "I  am  not  going  to  be  dis- 
appointed;" so  he  runs  on,  and  climbs  up  into  a  sycamore  tree- 
"  If  I  can  get  on  to  that  branch,  hanging  right  over  the  highway, 
He  cannot  pass  without  my  getting  a  good  look  at  Him."  That 
must  have  been  a  very  strange  sight  to  see  the  rich  man  climbing 
up  a  tree  like  a  boy,  and  hiding  among  the  leaves,  where  he  thought 
nobody  would  see  him,  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  passing  stranger ! 
There  is  the  crowd  bursting  out,  and  he  looks  for  Jesus.  He  looks  at 
Peter  ;  "  That's  not  Him."  He  looks  at  John  ;  "  That's  not  Him/' 
At  last  his  eye  rested  on  One  fairer  than  the  sons  of  men  ;  "  That's 
Him ! "  And  Zaccheus,  just  peeping  out  from  among  the 
branches,  looks  down  upon  the  wonderful  God-man  in  amaze- 
ment. At  last  the  crowd  comes  to  the  tree ;  it  looks  as  if 
Christ  were  going  by ;  but  He  stops  right  under  the  tree,  looks  up, 
and  says,  "  Zaccheus,  make  haste  and  come  down."  I  can 
imagine,  the  first  thought  in  his  mind  was,  "Who  told  Him  my 
name?  I  was  never  introduced  to  Him."  Ah!  He  knew  him. 
Sinner,  Christ  knows  all  about  you.  He  knows  yourf  name  and 
your  house.  You  need  not  try  to  hide  from  Him.  He  knows 
where  you  are,  and  all  about  you. 

Some  people  do  not  believe  in  sudden  conversion.  I  should 
like  them  to  answer  me  when  was  Zaccheus  converted  ?  He  was 
certainly  in  his  sins  when  he  went  up  into  that  tree ;  he  certainly 
was  converted  when  he  came  down.  He  must  have  been  con- 
verted somewhere  between  the  branch  and  the  ground.  It  didn't 
take  a  long  while  to  convert  that  publican  !  "  Make  haste  and 
come  down.     I  shall  never  pass  this  way  again ;  this  is  my  last 


46  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

visit."  Zaccheus  made  haste,  and  came  down  and  received  Him 
joyfully.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  any  one  receiving  Christ  in  any 
other  way?  He  received  Him  joyfully.  Christ  brings  joy  with 
Him.  Sin,  gloom,  and  darkness  flee  away ;  light,  peace,  and  joy 
burst  into  the  soul.  May  there  be  many  that  shall  come  down 
from  their  high  places,  and  receive  Christ  to-night ! 

Some  one  may  ask,  "  How  do  you  know  that  he  was  converted  ?  " 
I  think  he  gave  very  good  evidence.  I  would  like  to  see  as  fruit- 
ful evidence  of  conversion  here  to-night.  Let  some  of  you  rich 
men  be  converted,  and  give  half  your  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and 
people  will  believe  pretty  quickly  that  it  is  genuine  work  !  But 
there  is  better  evidence  even  than  that. .  "  If  I  have  taken  any- 
thing from  any  man  falsely,  /  restore  him  fourfold."  Very  good 
evidence  that.  You  say  if  people  are  converted  suddenly,  they 
won't  hold  out.  Zaccheus  held  out  long  enough  to  restore  four- 
fold. We  should  like  to  have  a  work  that  reaches  men's  pockets. 
I  can  imagine  one  of  his  servants  going  to  a  neighbour  next  morn' 
ing,  with  a  check  for  $100,  and  handing  it  over.  "What  is  this 
for  ?  "  "  Oh,  my  master  defrauded  you  of  $25  a  few  years  ago, 
and  this  is  restitution  money."  That  would  give  confidence  in 
Zaccheus'  conversion  !  I  wish  a  few  cases  like  that  would  happen 
now,  and  then  neople  would  stop  talking  against  sudden  conver- 
sions. 

The  Lord  goes  to  be  the  publican's  guest,  and  while  He  is  then? 
the  Pharisees  began  to  murmur  and  complain.  It  would  have  been 
a  good  thing  if  Pharisees  had  died  off  with  that  generation  j  but, 
unfortunately,  they  have  left  a  good  many  grandchildren,  living 
down  here  in  the  afternoon  of  this  nineteenth  century,  who  are 
ever  complaining,  "  This  man  receiveth  sinners."  But  while  the 
Pharisees  were  complaining,  the  Lord  uttered  the  text  I  have  to- 
night, "I  did  not  come  to  Zaccheus' to  make  him  wretched,  to 
condemn  him,  to  torment  him  ;  I  came  to  bless  and  save  him. 
The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost" 

If  there  is  a  man  or  woman  in  this  audience  to-night  who  believe 
that  he  or  she  is  lost,  I  have  good  news  to  tell  you — Christ  is  cor 
after  you.     I  was  at  the  Fulton  Street  prayer-meeting,  a  good  mai 
years  ago,  one  Saturday  night,  and  when  the  meeting  was  over,  a  m£ 
came  to  me,  and  said,  "  I  would   like  to  have  you  go  down  to  tl 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  47 

city  prison  to-morrow,  and  preach  to  the  prisoners.  I  said  I  would 
be  very  glad  to  go.  There  was  no  chapel  in  connection  with  that 
prison,  and  I  was  to  preach  to  them  in  their  cells.  I  had  to  stand  at  a 
little  iron  railing  and  talk  down  a  great,  long  narrow  passage  way,  to 
some  three  or  four  hundred  of  them,  I  suppose,  all  out  of  sight.  It 
was  pretty  difficult  work  -,  I  never  preached  to  the  bare  walls  before. 
When  it  was  over  I  thought  I  would  like  to  see  to  whom  I  had 
been  preaching,  and  how  they  had  received  the  gospel.  I  went  to 
the  first  door,  where  the  inmates  could  have  heard  me  best,  and 
looked  in  at  a  little  window,  and  there  were  some  men  playing  cards. 
I  suppose  they  had  been  playing  all  the  while.  "  How  is  it  with 
you  here  ?  "  I  said.  "Well,  stranger,  we  don't  want  you  to  get  a 
bad  idea  of  us.  False  witnesses  swore  a  lie,  and  that  is  how  we 
are  here."  "Oh,"  I  said,  "Christ  cannot  save  anybody  here  j 
there  is  nobody  lost."  I  went  to  the  next  cell.  "  Well,  friend,  how 
is  it  with  you  ? "  "  Oh,"  said  the  prisoner,  "  the  man  that  did  the 
deed  looked  very  much  like  me,  so  they  caught  me  and  I  am  here/' 
He  was  innocent  too !  I  passed  along  to  the  next  cell.  "  How  is 
it  with  you  ?  "  "  Well,  we  got  into  bad  company,  and  the  man  that 
did  it  got  clear,  and  we  got  taken  up,  but  we  never  did  anything." 
I  went  along  to  the  next  cell.  "  How  is  it  with  you  ?  "  "  Our  trial 
comes  on  next  week,  but  they  have  nothing  against  us,  and  we'll  get 
free."  I  went  round  nearly  every  cell,  but  the  answer  was  always  the 
same — they  had  never  done  anything.  Why,  I  never  saw  so  many 
innocent  men  together  in  my  life !  There  was  nobody  to  blame 
but  the  magistrates,  according  to  their  way  of  it.  These  men  were 
wrapping  their  filthy  rags  of  self-righteousness  about  them.  And 
that  has  been  the  story  for  six  thousand  years.  I  got  discouraged 
as  I  went  through  the  prison,  on,  and  on,  and  on,  cell  after  cell,  and 
every  man  had  an  excuse.  If  he  hadn't  one,  the  devil  helped  him 
to  make  one.  I  had  got  almost  through  the  prison,  when  I  came 
to  a  cell  and  found  a  man  with  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and  his 
head  in  his  hands.  Two  little  streams  of  tears  were  running  down 
his  cheeks ;  they  did  not  come  by  drops  that  time. 

u  What's  the  trouble  ?  "  I  said.  He  looked  up  the  picture  of 
remorse  and  despair.  "  Oh,  my  sins  are  more  than  I  can  bear." 
"  Thank  God  for  that,"  I  replied.  "  What,"  said  he,  "  you  are  the 
man  that  has  been   preaching  to  us,  ain't   you?"     "Yes."     "I 


48  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

think  you  said  you  were  a  friend  ?  "  "  I  am."  "  And  yet  you 
are  glad  that  my  sins  are  more  than  I  can  bear ! "  "  I  will 
explain,"  I  saidj  "if  your  sins  are  more  than  you  can  bear, 
won't  you  cast  them  on  One  who  will  bear  them  for  you  ? " 
"  Who's  that  ?  "  "  The  Lord  Jesus."  "  He  won't  bear  my  sins." 
"Why  not?"  "I  have  sinned  against  Him  all  my  life."  "I 
don't  care  if  you  have;  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Sor^ 
cleanses  from  all  sin."  Then  I  told  him  how  Christ  had  come  to 
seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost ;  to  open  the  prison  doors  and 
set  the  captives  free.  It  was  like  a  cup  of  refreshment  to  find  a 
man  who  believed  he  was  lost,  so  I  stood  there,  and  held  up  a 
crucified  Saviour  to  him.  "  Christ  was  delivered  for  our  offences, 
died  for  our  sins,  rose  again  for  our  justification."  For  a  long  time  the 
man  could  not  believe  that  such  a  miserable  wretch  could  be  saved. 
He  went  on  to  enumerate  his  sins,  and  I  told  him  that  the  blood 
of  Christ  could  cover  them  all.  After  I  had  talked  with  him  I  said, 
"  Now  let  us  pray."  He  got  down  on  his  knees  inside  the  cell, 
and  I  got  down  outside,  and  I  said,  "  You  pray."  "  Why,"  he  said, 
"  it  would  be  blasphemy  for  me  to  call  on  God."  "  You  call  on 
God,"  I  said.  He  knelt  down,  and,  like  the  poor  publican,  he 
lifted  up  his  voice  and  said,  "God  be  merciful  to  me,  a v vile 
wretch !  "  I  put  my  hand  through  the  window,  and  as  I  shook 
hands  with  him  a  tear  fell  on  my  hand  that  burned  down  into  my 
soul.  It  was  a  tear  of  repentance.  He  believed  he  was  lost. 
Then  I  tried  to  get  him  to  believe  that  Christ  had  come  to  save 
him.  I  left  him  still  in  darkness.  "  I  will  be  at  the  hotel,"  I 
said,  "  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  and  I  will  pray  for  you." 
Next  morning,  I  felt  so  much  interested  in  him,  that  I  thought 
I  must  see  him  before  I  went  back  to  Chicago.  No  sooner  had 
my  eye  lighted  on  his  face,  than  I  saw  that  remorse  and  despair 
had  fled  away,  and  his  countenance  was  beaming  with  celestial  light ; 
the  tears  of  joy  had  come  into  his  eyes,  and  the  tears  of  despair  were 
gone.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  had  broken  out  across  his  path; 
his  soul  was  leaping  within  him  for  joy ;  he  had  received  Christ. 
as  Zaccheus  did,  joyfully.  "  Tell  me  about  it,"  I  said.  (C  Well,  I 
do  not  know  what  time  it  was ;  I  think  it  was  about  midnight.  I 
had  been  in  distress  a  long  time,  when  all  at  once  my  great  burden 
fell  off,  and  now,  I  believe  I  am  the  happiest  man  in  New  York.'* 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  49 

I  think  he  was  the  happiest  man  I  saw,  from  the  time  I  left 
Chicago  till  I  got  back  again.  His  face  was  lighted  up  with  the 
light  that  comes  from  the  celestial  hills.  I  bade  him  good-bve, 
and  I  expect  to  meet  him  in  another  world. 

Can  you  tell  me  why  the  Son  of  God  came  down  to  that  prison 
that  night,  and,  passing  cell  after  cell,  went  to  that  one,  and  set  the 
captive  free  ?     It  was  because  the  man  believed  he  was  lost. 

But  you  say,  "  /  do  not  feel  that."  Well,  never  mind  your 
feelings  ;  believe  it.  Just  ask  yourself,  ''  Am  I  saved,  or  am  I  lost  ?" 
It  must  be  one  or  the  other.  There  is  no  neutrality  about  the  matter. 
A  man  cannot  be  saved  and  lost  at  the  same  time  ;  it  is  impossible. 
Every  man  and  woman  in  this  audience  must  either  be  saved  or 
lost,  if  the  Bible  be  true  ;  and  if  I  thought  it  was  not  true,  I  should 
not  be  here  preaching,  and  I  would  not  advise  you  people  to  come ; 
but  if  the  Bible  is  true,  every  man  and  every  woman  in  this  room 
rnust  either  be  in  the  ark  or  out  of  it,  either  saved  or  lost. 

I  do  not  believe  there  would  be  a  dry  eye  in  this  city  to-night,  if 
we  would  but  wake  up  to  the  thought  of  what  it  is  to  be  lost. 
"The  world  has  been  rocked  to  sleep  by  Satan,  who  is  going  up  and 
down  and  telling  people  that  it  doesn't  mean  anything.  I  believe 
in  the  old-fashioned  heaven  and  hell.  Christ  came  down  to  save  us 
from  a  terrible  hell,  and  any  man  who  is  cast  down  to  hell  from 
here  must  go  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  gospel,  and  over  the 
mangled  body  of  the  Son  of  God. 

We  hear  of  a  man  who  has  lost  his  health,  and  we  sympathize 
with  him,  and  we  say  it  is  very  sad.  Our  hearts  are  drawn  out  in 
sympathy.  Here  is  another  man  who  has  lost  his  wealth,  and  we 
say,  "  That  is  very  sad.1'  Here  is  another  man  who  has  lost  his 
reputation,  his  standing  among  men.  u  That  is  sadder  still,"  you 
say  We  know  what  it  is  to  lose  health  and  wealth,  and  repu- 
tation, but  what  is  the  loss  of  all  these  things  compared  with  the 
loss  of  the  soul  ? 

I  was  in  an  eye- infirmary  in  Chicago  some  time  ago,  before  the 
great  fire.  A  mother  brought  a  beautiful  little  babe  to  the  doctor — 
a  babe  only  a  few  months  old — and  wanted  the  doctor  to  look  at 
the  child's  eyes.  He  did  so,  and  pronounced  it  blind— blind  for 
life— it  will  never  see  again.  The  moment  he  said  that,  the  mother 
seized  it,  pressed  it  to  her  bosom,  and  gave  a  terrible  scream.     It 

4 


50  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

pierced  my  heart,  and  I  could  not  but  weep ;  the  doctor  wept ;  we 
could  not  help  it.  "Oh,  my  darling,"  she  cried,  "are  you  never 
to  see  the  mother  that  gave  you  birth  ?  Oh,  doctor,  I  cannot  stand 
it.  My  child,  my  child  !"  It  was  a  sight  to  move  any  heart.  But 
what  is  the  loss  of  eyesight  to  the  loss  of  a  soul  ?  I  had  a  thousand 
times  rather  have  these  eyes  taken  out  of  my  head  and  go  to  the 
grave  blind,  than  lose  my  soul.  I  have  a  son,  and  no  one  but 
God  knows  how  I  love  him;  but  I  would  see  those  eyes  dug 
out  of  his  head  to-night  rather  than  see  him  grow  up  to  manhood 
and  go  down  to  the  grave  without  Christ  and  without  hope.  The 
loss  of  a  soul !  Christ  knew  what  it  meant.  That  is  what  brought 
Him  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father ;  that  is  what  brought  Him 
from  the  throne  j  that  is  what  brought  Him  to  Calvary.  The  Son 
of  God  was  in  earnest.  When  He  died  on  Calvary  it  was  to  save 
a  lost  world ;  it  was  to  save  your  soul  and  mine. 

O  the  loss  of  the  soul —  how  terrible  it  is!  If  you  are  lost  to-night, 
I  beseech  you  do  not  rest  until  you  have  found  peace  in  Christ. 
Fathers  and  mothers,  if  you  have  children  out  of  the  Ark,  do  not 
rest  until  they  are  brought  into  it.  Do  not  discourage  your  children 
from  coming  to  Christ.  I  am  glad  to  see  those  little  boys  and 
girls  here.  Dear  children,  remember  the  sermon  is  for  you.  The 
Son  of  Man  came  for  you  as  much  as  for  that  old  grey-haired  man, 
yonder.  He  came  for  all,  rich  and  poor,  young  and  old.  Young 
man,  if  you  are  lost  may  God  show  it  to  you,  and  may  you  press 
into  the  kingdom.  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
you. 

There  is  a  story  told  of  Rowland  Hill.  He  was  once  preaching 
in  the  open  air  to  a  vast  audience.  Lady  Anne  Erskine  was  riding 
by,  and  she  asked  who  it  was  that  was  addressing  the  vast  assembly. 
She  was  told  it  was  the  celebrated  Rowland  Hill  Says  she,  "  I 
have  heard  of  him j  drive  me  near  the  platform,  that  I  may  listei 
to  him."  The  eye  of  Rowland  Hill  rested  on  her  ;  he  saw  that 
she  belonged  to  royalty,  and  turning  to  some  one,  he  inquired  wh( 
she  was.  He  went  on  preaching,  and  all  at  once,  he  stopped 
"  My  friends,"  he  said,  "  I  have  got  something  here  for  sale." 
Everybody  was  startled  to  think  that  a  minister  was  going  to  sel 
something  in  his  sermon.  "  I  am  going  to  sell  it  by  auction,  anc 
it  is  worth  more  than  the  crown  of  all  Europe  :  it  is  the  soul 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  51 

Lady  Anne  Erskine.  Will  any  one  bid  for  her  soul  ?  Hark  \ 
methinks  I  hear  a  bid.  Who  bids  ?  Satan  bids.  What  will  you 
give  ?  I  will  give  riches,  honour,  and  pleasure  ;  yea,  I  will  give 
the  whole  world  for  her  soul.  Hark  !  I  hear  another  bid  for  this 
soul.  Who  bids  ?  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Jesus,  what  will  you 
give  for  this  soul  ?  I  will  give  peace,  and  joy,  and  comfort  that 
the  world  kuows  not  of;  yea,  I  will  give  eternal  life  for  her  soul." 
Turning  to  Lady  Anne  Erskine,  he  said,  "  You  have  heard  the  two 
bidders  for  your  soul — which  shall  have  it  ?  "  She  ordered  the 
footman  to  open  the  door,  and  pushing  her  way  through  the  crowd, 
she  says,  "  The  Lord  Jesus  shall  have  my  soul,  if  He  will  accept 
it."  That  may  be  true,  or  it  may  not ;  but  there  is  one  thing  I 
know  to  be  true — there  are  two  bidders  for  your  soul  to-night.  It 
is  for  you  to  decide  which  shall  have  it.  Satan  offers  you  what  he 
cannot  give;  he  is  a  liar,  and  has  been  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  I  pity  the  man  who  is  living  on  the  devil's  promises.  He 
lied  to  Adam,  and  deceived  him,  stripped  him  of  all  he  had,  and 
then  left  him  in  his  lost,  ruined  condition.  And  all  the  men  since 
Adam,  living  on  the  devil's  lies,  the  devil's  promises,  have  been 
disappointed,  and  will  be,  down  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  But 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  able  to  give  all  He  offers,  and  He  offers 
eternal  life  to  every  lost  soul  here.  "The  gift  of  God  is  eternal 
life.  Who  will  have  it  ?  Will  any  one  flash  it  over  the  wires, 
and  let  it  go  up  to  the  throne  of  God,  that  you  want  to  be  saved  ? 
As  Mr.  Sankey  sang  of  that  shout  around  the  throne,  my  heart 
went  up  to  God,  that  there  might  be  a  great  shout  for  lost  ones 
brought  home  to-night. 

Some  time  since  a  man  told  me  he  was  anxious  to  be  saved, 
but  Christ  had  never  sought  for  him.  I  said,  "  What  are  you 
waiting  for  }  "'  "  Why,'  he  said,  "  I  am  waiting  for  Christ  to  call 
me  ;  as  soon  as  He  calls  me,  1  am  coming."  There  may  be  others 
here  who  have  got  the  same  notion.  Now,  I  do  not  believe  there 
is  a  man  in  this  land  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  not  striven  with  at 
some  period  of  his  life.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  person  in  this 
audience  but  Christ  has  sought  after  him.  Bear  in  mind,  He  takes 
the  place  of  the  seeker.  Every  man  who  has  ever  been  saved 
through  these  six  thousand  years  was  first  sought  after  by 
God.     No  sooner   did  Adam   fall,   than    God   sought  him.     He 


52  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

had  gone  away  frightened,  and  hid  himself  away  among  the 
bushes  in  the  garden,  but  God  took  the  place  of  the  Seeker  j 
and  from  that  day  to  this  God  has  always  had  the  place  of  the 
Seeker.  No  man  or  woman  in  this  audience  has  been  saved  but 
that  He  sought  them  first. 

What  do  we  read  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  St.  Luke  ?  There 
is  a  shepherd  bringing  home  his  sheep  into  the  fold.  As  they  pass 
in,  he  stands  and  numbers  them.  I  can  see  him  counting  one, 
two,  three,  up  to  ninety- nine.  "  But,"  says  he,  "  I  ought  to  have  a 
hundred ;  I  must  have  made  a  mistake  ;"  and  he  counts  them  over 
again.  "  There  are  only  ninety-nine  here  ;  I  must  have  lost  one." 
He  does  not  say,  "I  will  let  him  find  his  own  way  back."  No! 
He  takes  the  place  of  the  Seeker  ;  he  goes  out  into  the  mountain,  and 
hunts  until  he  finds  the  lost  one,  and  then  he  lays  it  on  his  shoulder 
and  brings  it  home.  Is  it  the  sheep  that  finds  the  shepherd  ?  No, 
it  is  the  shepherd  that  finds  and  brings  back  the  sheep.  He  re- 
joiced to  find  it.  Undoubtedly  the  sheep  was  very  glad  to  get  back 
to  the  fold,  but  it  was  the  shepherd  who  rejoiced,  and  who  called 
his  friends  and  said,  "  Rejoice  with  me." 

Then  there  is  that  woman  who  lost  the  piece  of  money.  Some 
one  perhaps  had  paid  her  a  bill  that  day,  giving  her  ten  pieces  of 
silver.  As  she  retires  at  night,  she  takes  the  money  out  of  her 
pocket  and  counts  it.  u  Why,"  she  says,  "  I  have  only  got  nine 
pieces  ;  I  ought  to  have  ten."  She  counts  it  over  again.  "  Only 
nine  pieces!  Where  have  I  been,"  she  says,  " since  I  got  that 
money  ?  I  am  sure  I  have  not  been  out  of  the  house."  She  turns 
her  pocket  wrong  side  out,  and  there  she  finds  a  hole  in  it.  Does 
she  wait  until  the  money  gets  back  into  her  pocket  ?  No.  She  takes 
a  broom,  and  lights  a  candle,  and  sweeps  diligently.  She  moves  the 
sofa  and  the  table  and  the  chairs,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  furniture, 
and  sweeps  in  every  corner  until  she  finds  it.  And  when  she  has 
found  it,  who  rejoices  ?  The  piece  of  money  ?  No  ;  the  woman 
who  finds  it.  In  these  parables,  Christ  brings  out  the  great  truth 
that  God  takes  the  place  of  Seeker.  People  talk  of  finding  Christ, 
but  it  is  Christ  who  first  finds  them. 

Another  young  man  told  me  one  night  that  he  was  too  great  a 
sinner  to  be  saved.  Why,  they  are  the  very  men  Christ  came  after. 
"This  Man  receiveth  sinners  and  eateth  with  them."     The  only 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  53 

charge  they  could  bring  against  Christ  down  here  was,  that  He  was 
receiving  bad  men.  They  are  the  very  kind  of  men  He  is  willing 
to  receive.  All  you  have  got  to  do  is,  to  prove  that  you  are  a 
sinner,  and  I  will  prove  that  you  have  got  a  Saviour.  And  the 
greater  the  sinner,  the  greater  need  you  have  of  a  Saviour.  You 
say  your  heart  is  hard  j  well,  then,  of  course,  you  want  Christ  to 
soften  it.  You  cannot  do  it  yourself.  The  harder  your  heart,  the 
more  need  you  have  of  Christ ;  the  blacker  you  are,  the  more  need 
you  have  of  a  Saviour.  If  your  sins  rise  up  before  you  like  a  dark 
mountain,  bear  in  mind  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanses 
from  all  sin.  There  is  no  sin  so  big,  or  so  black,  or  so  corrupt  and 
vile,  but  the  blood  of  Christ  can  cover  it.  So  I  preach  the  old 
gospel  again,  "  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost." 

It  was  Adam's  fall,  his  loss,  that  brought  out  God's  love. 
God  never  told  Adam  when  He  put  him  into  Eden,  that  He  loved 
him.  It  was  his  fall,  his  sin,  that  brought  it  out.  A  friend  of  mine 
from  Manchester  was  in  Chicago  a  few  years  ago,  and  he  was  very 
much  interested  in  the  city — a  great  city,  with  its  300,000  or  400,000 
inhabitants,  with  its  great  railway  centres,  its  lumber  market,  its  pork 
market,  and  its  grain  market.  He  said  he  went  back  to  Manchester 
and  told  his  friends  about  Chicago.  But  he  could  not  get  anybody 
very  much  interested  in  it.  It  was  a  great  many  hundreds  of  miles 
away ;  and  the  people  did  not  seem  to  care  for  hearing  about  it. 
But  one  day  there  came  flashing  along  the  wire  the  sad  tidings  that 
it  was  on  fire ;  and,  my  friend  said,  the  Manchester  people  became 
suddenly  interested  in  Chicago !  Every  despatch  that  came  they 
read  ;  they  bought  up  the  papers,  and  devoured  every  particle  of  news. 
And  at  last,  when  the  despatch  came  that  Chicago  was  burning  up, 
that  100,000  people  were  turned  out  of  house  and  home,  then  every 
one  became  so  interested  that  they  began  to  weep  for  us.  They 
came  forward  and  laid  down  their  money — some  gave  hundreds  of 
dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  sufferers.  It  was  the  calamity  of 
Chicago  that  brought  out  the  love  of  Manchester,  and  of  London, 
and  of  Liverpool.  I  was  in  that  terrible  fire,  and  I  saw  men  that 
were  wealthy  stripped  of  all  they  had.  That  Sunday  night,  when 
they  retired,  they  were  the  richest  men  in  Chicago.  Next  morning 
they  were  paupers.     But  I  did  not  see  a  man  weep.     But  when  the 


54  CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS. 

news  came  flashing  along  the  wire,  "  Liverpool  gives  ten  thous- 
and dollars  ;  Manchester  sends  five  thousand  dollars  ;  London 
is  giving  money  to  aid  the  city ;"  and  as  the  news  kept  flashing 
that  help  was  coming,  our  city  was  broken-hearted.  I  saw  men 
weep  then.  The  love  that  was  shown  us  broke  our  hearts.  So  the 
love  of  God  ought  to  break  every  heart  in  this  city.  It  was  love 
that  brought  Christ  down  here  to  die  for  us.  It  was  love  that  made 
Him  leave  His  place  by  the  Father's  throne  and  come  down  here 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

But  now  for  the  sake  of  these  men  who  believe  Christ  never 
sought  them,  perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  say  how  He  seeks.  There 
are  a  great  many  ways  in  which  He  does  so.  One  night  I  found 
a  man  in  the  inquiry-room,  and  the  Lord  had  been  speaking  to 
him  by  the  prayers  of  a  godly  sister  who  died  a  little  while  ago. 
Her  prayers  were  answered.  He  came  into  the  inquiry-room 
trembling  from  head  to  foot.  I  talked  to  him  about  the  plan  of 
salvation,  and  the  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks,  and  at  last  he  took 
Christ  as  his  Saviour.  The  Son  of  Man  sought  out  that  young 
man  through  the  prayers  of  his  sister,  and  then  through  her  death. 

Some  of  you  have  godly,  praying  mothers,  who  have  prayed  whole 
nights  for  your  soul,  and  who  have  now  gone  to  heaven.  Did  not 
you  take  their  hand  and  promise  that  you  would  meet  them  there  ? 
That  was  the  Son  of  God  seeking  you  by  your  mother's  prayers 
and  your  mother's  death.  Some  of  you  have  got  faithful,  godly 
ministers  who  weep  for  you  in  the  pulpit,  and  plead  with  you  to 
come  to  Christ.  You  have  heard  heart-searching  sermons,  and  the 
truth  has  gone  down  deep  into  your  heart,  and  tears  have  come 
down  your  cheeks.  That  was  the  Son  of  God  seeking  you. 
Some  of  you  have  had  godly,  praying  Sabbath- school  teachers  and 
superintendents,  urging  you  to  come  to  Christ.  Some  of  you, 
perhaps,  have  got  young  men  converted  round  you,  and  they  have 
talked  with  you  and  pleaded  with  you  to  come  to  Christ.  That 
was  the  Son  of  God  seeking  after  your  soul.  Some  of  you  have 
had  a  tract  put  in  your  hand  with  a  startling  title,  "  Eternity  j 
Where  will  You  Spend  It  ?  "  and  the  arrow  has  gone  home.  That 
was  the  Son  of  God  seeking  after  you.  Many  of  you  have  been 
laid  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  when  you  had  time  to  think  and  meditate. 
And  in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night,  when  everybody  was  asleep 


CHRIST  SEEKING  SINNERS.  55 

the  Spirit  of  God  has  come  into  your  chamber,  has  come  to  your 
bedside,  and  the  thought  came  stealing  through  your  mind  that  you 
ought  to  be  a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  heaven.  That  was  the 
Son  of  God  seeking  after  your  lost  soul.  Some  of  you  have  had 
little  children,  and  you  have  laid  them  yonder  in  the  cemetery. 
When  that  little  child  was  dying  you  promised  to  love  and  serve 
God  (ah,  Have  you  kept  your  promise  ?)  That  was  the  Son  of  God 
seeking  you.  He  took  that  little  child  yonder  to  draw  vour 
affections  heavenwards. 

It  would  take  me  all  night  to  tell  the  different  ways  in  which 
the  Lord  seeks.  Can  you  rise  in  this  hall  to-night  and  say  that  the 
Son  of  God  never  sought  for  you?  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  man 
or  woman  in  this  audience  or  in  the  whole  city  who  could  do  it. 
My  friend,  He  has  been  calling  for  you  from  your  earliest  childhood, 
and  He  has  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  God's  own  people  just  to  call 
you  together  in  this  hall.  Prayer  is  going  up  all  over  the  Christian 
world  for  you.  Perhaps  there  never  has  been  a  time  in  the  history  of 
your  life  when  so  many  were  praying  for  you  as  at  the  present  time. 
That  is  the  Son  of  God  seeking  for  your  soul  through  the  prayers 
of  the  Church,  through  the  prayers  of  ministers,  through  the 
prayers  of  the  saints  not  only  about  you  but  throughout  the 
world.  I  am  receiving  letters  almost  daily  from  both  sides  of 
the  ocean  saying  continual  prayer  is  going  up  to  God  for  this 
work.  What  does  it  mean  ?  God  has  laid  it  upon  the  heart  of 
the  Church  throughout  the  world  to  pray  for  the  work.  It  must 
be  that  God  has  something  good  in  store  for  this  city;  the  Son  of 
of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost ; 
and  I  pray  that  the  Good  Shepherd  may  enter  this  hall  to-night 
and  may  come  to  many  a  heart,  and  that  you  may  hear  the  still 
small  voice  :  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  -,  if  any  man 
hear  My  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and 
will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  Me."  O  friends,  open  the  door 
to-night,  and  let  the  heavenly  Visitor  in.  Do  not  turn  Him  away 
any  longer.  Do  not  say  with  Felix,  "  Go  thy  way  this  time,  and 
when  I  have  a  convenient  season  I  will  call  for  thee."  Make  this 
a  convenient  season;  make  this  the  night  of  your  salvation.  Re- 
ceive the  gift  of  God  to-night,  and  open  the  door  of  your  heart, 
and  say,  "  Welcome,  thrice  welcome  into  this  heart  of  mine." 


V. 

'  SINNERS   SEEKING   CHRIST. 

Seek  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found  ;  call  ye  upon 
Him  while  He  is  near," — Isai  h  lv.  6. 


I  have  been  speaking  about  the  Son  of  Man  seeking  the  lost; 
but  now  I  want  to  take  up  the  other  side  of  the  case — man's  side. 
I  have  learned  this,  that  when  any  one  becomes  in  earnest  about  his 
soul's  salvation  he  begins  to  seek  God,  and  it  does  not  take*  a  great 
while  for  them  to  meet ;  it  does  not  take  long  for  an  anxious  sinner 
to  meet -an  anxious  Saviour.  What  do  we  read  in  the  29th  chapter 
of  Jeremiah,  13th  verse?  "Ye  shall  seek  Me  and  find  Me  when 
ye  shall  search  for  Me  with  all  your  heart."  These  are  the  men 
who  find  Christ — those  who  seek  for  Him  with  all  their  heart.  I 
am  tired  and  sick  of  half-heartedness.  You  don't-  like  a  half- 
hearted man ;  you  don't  care  for  any  one  to  love  you  with  a  half 
heart,  and  the  Lord  won't  have  it.  If  we  are  going  to  seek  for 
Him  and  find  Him,  we  must  do  it  with  all  our  heart.  I  believe 
the  reason  why  so  few  people  find  Christ  is  because  they  do  not 
search  for  Him  with  all  their  heart  j  they  are  not  terribly  in  earnest 
about  their  soul's  salvation.  God  is  in  earnest  j  everything  God 
has  done  proves  that  He  is  in  earnest  about  the  salvation  of  men's 
souls.  He  has  proved  it  by  giving  his  only  Son  to  die  for  us.  The 
Son  of  God  was  in  earnest  when  He  died.  What  is  Calvary  but  a 
proof  of  that  ?  And  the  Lord  wants  us  to  be  in  earnest  when  it 
comes  to  this  great  question  of  the  soul's  salvation.  I  never  saw 
men  seeking  Him  with  all  their  hearts  but  they  soon  found  Him. 

It  was  quite  refreshing,  one  night,  to  find  in  the  inquiry-room  a 
young  man  who  thought  he  was  not  worth  saving,  he  was  so  vile 
and   wicked.     There  was  hope  for  him  because  he  was  so  des- 


SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST.  57 

perately  in  earnest  about  his  soul.  He  thought  he  was  worthless. 
He  had  got  a  sight  of  himself  in  God's  looking-glass,  and  when  a 
man  does  that  he  has  a  very  poor  opinion  of  himself.  You  can 
always  tell  when  a  man  is  a  great  way  from  God — he  is  always 
talking  about  himself,  and  how  good  he  is.  But  the  moment  he 
sees  God  by  the  eye  of  faith  he  is  down  on  his  knees,  and,  like 
Job,  he  cries,  "Behold,  I  am  vile."  All  his  goodness  flees  away. 
What  men  want  is  to  be  in  earnest  about  their  salvation,  and  they 
will  soon  find  Christ.  You  do  not  neea  to  go  up  to  the  heights  to 
bring  Him  down,  or  down  to  the  depths  to  bring  Him  up,  or  to  go 
off  to  some  distant  city  to  find  Him.  This  day  He  is  near  to  every 
one  of  us.  I  heard  some  one  in  the  inquiry-room  telling  a  young 
person  to  go  home  and  seek  Christ  in  his  closet.  I  would  not  dare 
to  tell  any  one  to  do  that.  You  might  be  dead  before  you  got  home. 
If  I  read  my  Bible  correctly,  the  man  who  preaches  the  gospel  is  not 
the  man  who  tells  me  to  seek  Christ  to-morrow  or  an  hour  hence, 
but  now.  He  is  near  to  every  one  of  us  this  minute  to  save.  If 
the  world  would  just  come  to  God  for  salvation,  and  be  in  earnest 
about  it,  they  would  find  the  Son  of  God  right  at  the  door  of  their 
heart. 

Suppose  I  should  say  I  lost  a  very  valuable  diamond  here  last 
night — I  have  not,  but  suppose  it — worth  $106,000.  I  had  it  in  my 
pocket  when  I  came  into  the  hall,  and  when  I  had  done 
preaching  1  found  it  was  not  in  my  pocket,  but  was  in  the 
hall  somewhere.  And  suppose  I  was  to  say  that  any  one  who 
found  it  could  have  it.  How  earnest  you  would  all  become  !  You 
would  not  get  very  much  of  my  sermon  ;  you  would  all  be  thinking 
of  the  diamond.  I  do  not  believe*  the  police  could  get  you  out  of 
this  hall.  The  idea  of  finding  a  diamond  worth  $100,000  !  If  you 
could  only  find  it,  it  would  lift  you  out  of  poverty  at  once,  and  you 
would  be  independent  for  the  rest  of  your  days.  Oh,  how  soon 
everybody  would  become  terribly  in  earnest  then  !  I  would  to  God 
I  could  get  men  to  seek  for  Christ  in  the  sanie  way.  I  have  got 
something. worth  more  than  a  diamond  to  offer  you.  Is  not  salva- 
tion— eternal  life— worth  more  than  all  the  diamonds  in  the  world  ? 
Suppose  Gabriel  should  wing  his  way  from  the  throne  of  God  and 
come  down  here,  and  say  he  had  been  commissioned  by  Jehovah  to 
come  and  offer  to  this  assembly  any  one  gift  you    might  choose. 


58  SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

You  could  have  just  what  you  chose,  tut  only  one  thing.  What 
would  it  be  ?  The  wealth  of  this  city,  or  of  the  world  ?  "Would 
that  be  your  choice  ?  Ten  thousand  times,  no  !  Your  one  cry 
would  be,  "  Life  !  eternal  life  !  *' 

There  is  nothing  that  men  value  as  they  do  life.  Let  a  man  be 
out  on  a  wreck  that  is  fast  going  down.  He  is  worth  a  million 
dollars,  and  his  only  chance  is  to  give  up  that  million  dollars,  just 
to  save  jthe  life  of  the  body.  He  would  give  it  up  in  a  moment. 
"  Skin  for  skin  ;  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  I 
understand  some  people  have  been  afraid  to  come  to. this  hall  be- 
cause there  might  be  a  cry  of  "  Fire  !  tire  !  "  and  a  panic,  and  they 
might  lose  their  life.  Yet  there  are  twenty  doors  to  the  building  ; 
I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  saw  a  building  that  you  could  get 
out  of  easier.  Yet  people  seem  to  sleep,  and  to  forget  that  there  is 
no  door  out  of  hell.  If  they  enter  there  they  must  remain,  age  after 
age.  Millions  on  millions  of  years  will  roll  on,  but  there  will  be  no 
door,  no  escape  out  of  hell.  May  God  wake  up  this  slumbering 
congregation  and  make  you  anxious  about  your  souls.  People  talk 
about  our  being  earnest  and  fanatical — about  our  being  on  fire. 
Would  to  God  the  Church  was  on  fire  3  this  world  would  soon  shake 
to  its  foundation.  May  God  wake  up  a  slumbering  Church  !  What 
we  want  men  to  do  is  not  to  shout"  Amen/'  and  clasp  their  hands. 
The  deepest  and  quietest  waters  very  often  run  swiftest.  We  want 
men  to  go  right  to  work ;  there  will  be  a  chance  for  you  to  shout 
by-and-by.  Go  and  speak  to  your  neighbour,  and  tell  him  of  Christ 
and  heaven.  You  need  not  go  a  few  yards  down  these  streets 
before  you  find  some  one  who  is  passing  down  to  the  darkness  of 
eternal  death.     Let  us  haste  to  the  rescue  ! 

What  we  want  to  see  is  men  really  wishing  to  become  Christians 
men  who  are  in  dead  earnest  about  it.  The  idea  of  hearing  a  man 
say  in  answer  to  the  question,  "  Do  you  want  to  become  a  Christian  ? '' 
"Well,  1  would  not  mind."  My  friend,  I  do  not  think  you  will 
ever  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God  until  you  change  your  language. 
We  want  men  crying  from  the  depths  of  their  heart,  "  I  want  to  be 
saved."  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  the  cry  was,  "Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ? "  These  men  were  in  earnest,  and 
they  found  Christ  right  there ;  three  thousand  found  Him,  when 
they  sought  with  all  their  hearts.     When  men  seek  Christ  as  they 


SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST.  S9 

do  wealth,  they  will  soon  find  Him.  To  be  sure,  the  wo^SW  *»»U 
raise  a  cry  that  they  are  excited.  Let  cotton  go  up  ten  01  fifteen  per 
cent,  before  to-morrow  morning,  and  you  will  see  how  quickly  the 
merchants  will  get  excited !  And  the  papers  don't  cry  it  down 
either.  They  say  it  is  healthy  excitement ;  commerce  is  getting  on. 
But  when  you  begin  to  get  excited  about  your  soul's  salvation,  and 
are  in  earnest,  then  they  raise  the  cry,  "  Oh,  they  are  getting 
excited ;  most  unhealthy  state  of  things."  Yet  they  don't  talk 
about  men  hastening  down  to  death  by  thousands.  There  is  the 
poor  drunkard,  look  at  him !  Hear  the  piercing  cry  going  up  to 
heaven  !  Yet  the  Church  of  God  slumbers  and  sleeps.  Here  and 
there  there  is  an  inquirer,  and  yet  they  go  into  the  inquiry-room  as 
if  they  were  half  asleep.  When  will  men  seek  for  Christ  as  they 
seek  for  wealth,  or  as  they  seek  for  honour  ? 

I  am  told  that  when  the  war  broke  out  on  the  Gold  Coast, 
though  it  was  known  that  the  climate  was  a  very  unhealthy  one, 
and  a  great  many  who  went  there  would  never  return,  yet  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  men  wanted  to  go.  Why  ?  They  wanted  to  get 
wealth,  and  from  wealth  honour.  And  if  there  is  a  chance  of  going 
to  India,  no  end  of  men  are  willing  to  go.  To  get  a  little  honour 
they  will  sacrifice  comfort,  pleasure,  health,  and  everything.  What 
we  want,  is  to  have  men  seeking  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  thev 
seek  for  honour  and  wealth. 

As  I  said,  if  life  is  in  danger,  how  terribly  in  earnest  men 
become.  That  is  right ;  there  is  no  doubt  about  that.  But  why 
should  not  men  be  as  much  in  earnest  about  their  soul's  salvation  ? 
Why  should  not  every  man  and  woman  here  wake  up  and  seek 
the  Lord  with  all  their  heart  ?  Then,  the  Lord  says,  you  shall 
rind  Him. 

There  is  a  story  told  of  a  vessel  that  was  wrecked,  and  was 
going  down  at  sea.  There  were  not  enough  lifeboats  to  take  all 
on  board.  When  the  vessel  went  down,  some  of  the  lifeboats 
were  near  the  vessel.  '  A  man  swam  from  the  wreck  just  as  it  was 
going  down,  to  one  of  the  boats ;  but  they  had  no  room  to  take 
him,  and  they  refused.  When  they  refused,  he  seized  hold  of  the 
boat  with  his  right  hand,  but  they  took  a  sword  and  cut  off  his 
ringers.  When  he  had  lost  the  ringers  of  his  right  hand,  the  man  was 
so  earnest  to  save  his  life  that  he  seized  the  boat  with  his  left  hand  5 


6o  SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

they  cut  off  the  fingers  of  that  hand  too.  Then  the  man  swam 
up  and  seized  the  boat  with  his  teeth,  and  they  had  compassion  on 
him  and  relented.  They  could  not  cut  off  his  head,  so  they  took 
him  in,  and  the  man  saved  his  life.  Why  ?  Because  he  was  in 
earnest.  Why  not  seek  your  soul's  salvation  as  that  man  sought 
to  save  his  life  ? 

Will  there  ever  be  a  better  time  ?  Will  there  ever  be  a  better 
time  for  that  old  man  whose  locks  are  growing  grey,  whose  eyes 
are  growing  dim,  and  who  is  hastening  to  the  grave  ?  Is  not  this 
the  very  best  time  for  him  ?  "  Seek  the  Lord  while  He  may  be 
found."  There  is  a  man  in  the  middle  of  life.  Is  this  not  the 
best  time  for  him  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God !  Will  he  ever 
have  a  better  opportunity  ?  Will  Christ  ever  be  more  willing 
to  save  than  now  ?  He  says,  "  Come,  for  all  things  are  now 
ready.'*  Not,  going  to  be,  but  are  now  ready.  There  is  a  young 
man.  My  friend,  is  it  not  the  best  time  for  you  to  seek  the  king- 
dom of  God  ?  Seek  the  Lord,  you  can  find  Him  here  to-night. 
Can  you  say  that  you  will  find  Him  here  to-morrow  ?  Will  anv 
one  rise  up  in  this  hall  and  say  that  ?  Young  man,  you  know 
not  what  to-morrow  may  bring  forth.  Do  you  know  that  since 
we  met  here  last  night  43,000  souls  have  passed  from  time  to 
eternity  ?  Do  you  know  that  every  time  the  clock  ticks  a  soul 
passes  away  ?  Is  not  this  the  best  time  for  you  to  seek  the  king- 
dom of  God  ? 

My  boy,  the  Lord  wants  you.  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  o2 
God,  and  seek  Him  while  He  may  be  found.  About  thirty 
years  ago,  a  great  revival  swept  over  this  land.  A  great  many 
men  stood  and  shook  their  heads  ;  they  could  not  believe  it  was  a 
healthy  state  of  things.  The  Church  was  not  in  its  normal  state  ! 
The  Church  from  Maine  to  Minnesota,  and  on  to  California,  was 
astir.  And  as  you  passed  over  this  great  republic,  over  its  western 
prairies  and  mountains,  and  through  its  valleys,  as  you  went  on  by 
train,  and  as  you  passed  through  its  cities  and  villages,  you  could  see 
the  churches  lit  up  j  and  men  were  flocking  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  by  hundreds.  And  in  a  year  and  a  half  or  two  years  there 
were  more  than  half  a  million  souls  brought  in.  Men  said  it  was 
false  excitement,  wildfire,  and  it  would  pass  away.  But,  my 
friends,  it  was  grace  preceding  judgment.     Little  did  we  know  that 


SJJVJVAA'^   ^±LK~U\(jr  CAtAlS/.  01 

our  nation  was  soon  to  be  baptized  in  blood,  and  that  we  would 
soon  hear  the  tramp  of  a  million  men,  that  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  our  young  men,  the  flower  of  our  nation,  would  soon  be  lying 
in  a  soldier's  grave.  But,  oh,  my  friends,  it  was  God  calling  his 
people  in.     He  was  preparing  our  nation  for  a  terrible  struggle. 

And  now,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  another  wave  of  blessing 
passing  over  this  earth.  Tidings  are  coming  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  telling  us  of  the  great  work  God  is  doing.  The  last  tidings 
from  India,  told  us  of  a  blessed  work  going  on  there.  The  last  tidings 
from  Japan  and  from  other  places — we  have  the  same  good  news 
of  God  pouring  out  his  Spirit.  It  was  only  the  other  day  that  two 
men  came  up  here  from  a  town  of  50,000  inhabitants,  and  wanted 
us  to  go  there  j  but  we  could  not,  and  we  told  them  to  go  home 
and  get  to  work  themselves.  To-day  one  of  them  told  us  that  they 
had  sixteen  last  night  in  the  inquiry-room.  God  is  pouring  out  his 
Spirit  everywhere.  Everywhere  men  are  putting  in  the  sickle  and 
bringing  their  sheaves  and  laying  them  at  the  feet  of  the  Master.  I 
believe  we  are  living  in  the  days  that  our  fathers  prayed  for.  The 
heavens  are  opened,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  is  descending  upon  the 
sons  of  men. 

Now,  this  time  of  revival  is  a  good  time  to  seek  the  Lord. 
Will  you  ever  have  a  better  time?  The  tidings  from  every 
city  is  this — the  people  are  praying.  It  is  a  question  in  my 
mind  if  there  was  ever  so  much  prayer  going  up  to  God  as 
at  the  present.  Not  only  here,  but  all  round  the  world,  we 
have  God's  people  making  their  hearts  burdened  for  the  salvation 
of  souls.  And  is  it  not  God  working?  Will  there  ever  be  a 
better  time  for  you  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  than  the  present, 
when  there  is  such  a  great  awakening,  when  there  is  such  a  spirit 
of  expectation ;  when  the  Church  of  God  is  coming  up  as  one 
man,  and  the  spirit  of  unity  prevails  ?  Think  of  the  praying  ones 
here.  Do  you  believe  there  were  ever  so  many  men  and  women 
praying  for  your  soul  as  there  are  here  to-night  ?  Look  over  this 
audience — what  are  these  Christians  doing  now  !  They  are  silently 
graying  to  God.  I  can  see  they  are  praying.  There  is  a  young 
man  with  his  mother  sitting  by  his  side.  That  mother  is  pleading, 
"  God  save  my  boy  to  night  !  "  May  it  go  down  deep  into  his 
soul !     "  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found." 


62  SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

Now,  let  me  ask  you  a  question.  Do  you  believe,  that  the 
Lord  can  be  found  here  to-night  ?  I  appeal  to  these  ministers 
present  at  my  side  ;  do  you  believe  He  can  ?  They  answer"  Yes." 
My  friends,  do  you  believe  it  ?  Another  Yes  comes  from  the 
audience.  Well,  if  He  can,  is  it  not  the  height  of  madness  for  any 
man  or  woman  to  go  out  of  this  hall  without  seeking  Him  ?  If 
He  can  be  found,  why  not  seek  Him?  Young  lady,  why  not 
seek  Him  with  all  your  heart  ?  Young  man,  why  not  seek 
Christ  to-night  with  all  your  heart  ?  Why  not  say,  "  I  must  be 
saved  "  ?  There  is  nothing  so  important  as  this  great  question  of 
salvation. 

Supposing  you  could  win  the  world,  what  would  you  do  with 
it  ?  Would  it  be  worth  as  much  as  Christ  ?  Let  everything  else 
be  laid  aside,  and  make  up  your  minds  that  you  will  not  rest  until 
you  have  sought  and  found  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  never  knew  any  one 
make  up  his  mind  to  seek  Him  but  he  soon  found  Him.  At 
Dublin  a  young  man  found  Christ.  He  went  home  and  lived  so 
godly  and  so  Christ-like,  that  two  of  his  brothers  could  not  under- 
stand what  had  wrought  the  change  in  him.  They  left  Dublin 
and  followed  us  to  Sheffield,  and  found  Christ  there.  They 
were  in  earnest.  But,  thanks  be  to  God,  you  have  not  go* 
to  go  out  of  this  hall.  Christ  can  be  found  here  to-night.  I 
firmly  believe  every  one  here  can  find  Christ  to-night  if  you  will 
seek  for  Him  with  all  your  heart.  He  says,  u  Call  upon  Me." 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  any  one  calling  on  Christ  with  the  whole 
heart,  that  Christ  didn't  answer  ?  Look  at  that  thief  on  the  cross ! 
It  may  have  been  that  he  had  a  praying  mother,  and  that  his 
mother  taught  him  the  fifty- third  chapter  of  Isaiah.  He  hac1 
heard  Christ  pray  that  wonderful  prayer,  "  Father,  forgive  them." 
And  as  he  was  hanging  on  the  cross  that  text  of  Scripture  came  to 
his  mind,  "  Seek  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found ;  call  ye  upon 
Him  while  He  is  near."  The  truth  came  flashing  into  his  soul, 
and  he  says,  "  He  is  near  me.  now ;  I  will  call  on  Him.  Lord, 
remember  me  when  Thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom."  No  sooner 
had  he  called  than  the  Lord  said,  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  Me 
in  paradise."  That  was  his  seeking  opportunity,  his  day.  My 
friends,  this  is  your  day  now.  I  believe  that  every  man  has  his 
day.     You  have  it  just  now  j  why  not  call  upon  Him  just  now  ? 


SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIS  1.  63 

Say,  as  the  poor  thief  did,  "  Lord,  remember  me."  That  was  his 
golden  opportunity,  and  the  Lord  heard  and  answered  and  saved 
him.  Did  not  Bartimeus  call  on  Him  while  He  was  near?  Christ 
was  passing  by  Jericho  for  the  last  time,  and  he  cried  out,  "  Thou 
Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me."  And  did  not  the  Lord  hear 
his  prayer,  and  give  him  his  sight  ?  It  was  a  good  thing  Zaccheus 
called — or  rather  the  Lord  called  him,  but  when  the  Lord  called 
he  came.  May  the  Lord  call  many  here,  and  may  you  respond, 
"  Lord,  here  am  1 5  you  have  called  and  I  come."  Do  you  believe 
the  Lord  will  call  a  poor  sinner,  and  then  cast  him  out  ?  No  !  his 
word  stands  for  ever,  "  Him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out." 

I  was  glad  when  that  man  I  told  you  of,  said  he  felt  as  if  he 
was  too  bad.  Men  are  pretty  near  the  kingdom  of  God  when  they 
do  not  see  anything  good  in  themselves.  At  the  Fulton  Street 
prayer-meeting  a  man  came  in,  and  this  was  his  story.  He  said 
he  had  a  mother  who  prayed  for  him ;  he  was  a  wild,  reckless 
prodigal.  Some  time  after  his  mother's  death  he  began  to  be 
troubled.  He  thought  he  ought  to  get  into  new  company,  and 
leave  his  old  companions.  So  he  said  he  would  go  and  join  a 
secret  society  5  he  thought  he  would  join  the  Odd  Fellows.  They 
went  and  made  inquiry  about  him,  and  they  found  he  was  a 
drunken  sailor,  so  they  black-balled  him.  They  would  not  have 
him.  He  went  to  the  Freemasons ;  he  had  nobody  to  recommend 
him,  so  they  inquired  and  found  there  was  no  good  in  his  character, 
and  they  too  black-balled  him.  They  didn't  want  him.  One  day, 
some  one  handed  him  a  little  notice  in  the  street  about  the  prayer- 
meeting,  and  he  went  in.  He  heard  that  Christ  had  come  to  save 
sinners.  He  believed  Him ;  he  took  Him  at  his  word ;  and,  in 
reporting  the  matter,  he  said  he  "came  to  Christ  without  a 
character,  and  Christ  hadrCt  black-hailed  him,1 

My  friends,  that  is  Christ's  way.  Is  there  a  man  here  with- 
out a  character,  with  nobody  to  say  a  good  word  for  him  ?  I  bring 
you  good  news.  Call  on  the  Son  of  „  God,  and  He  will  hear  you. 
Call  on  Him  to-night. 

I  was  at  a  meeting  for  ministers  the  other  day.  Up  in  the 
gallery  there  was  one  solitary  woman  -,  she  sat  there  alone.  When 
the  meeting  was  over  and  I  was  passing  out,  she  came  and  said, 


64  SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

"Mr.  Moody,  do  you  remember  me?"  "Oh  yes,"  I  said,  "I 
remember  you."  Where  had  I  met  her  ?  Mr.  Sankey  and  myself 
were  leaving  Dundee  for  the  north  of  Scotland.  There  was  a  lady 
who  had  come  from  London  and  brought  her  two  boys  all  the  way  to 
get  blessed ;  they  must  have  been  about  eighteen  or  nineteen — twins. 
That  mother's  heart  was  burdened  for  their  salvation.  The  last 
night  we  had  a  meeting  there,  one  of  the  sons  yielded  himself  up 
to  Christ,  and  the  mother  went  back  next  morning  with  her  two 
boys,  rejoicing  that  they  had  asked  and  found  peace  in  believing. 
Some  people  may  say  that  she  was  a  great  fanatic  for  going  all  the 
way  from  London  to  Dundee  with  her  boys  to  get  a  blessing. 
But  last  Friday  she  says,  "My  boy,  who  found  the  Lord  in 
Dundee,  died  three  weeks  ago."  And  as  she  pressed  my  hand 
as  I  left  the  meeting,  I  said  to  myself,  "Was  it  not  a  good 
thing  that  mother  took  her  boy  to  Dundee?"  My  friends,  let 
us  be  in  earnest  about  the  salvation  of  our  children,  and  of  our 
friends.  Warn  that  young  lady.  Yes,  mother,  speak  to  that 
daughter  of  yours.  Father,  speak  to  that  child  of  yours.  Wife, 
speak  to  your  unconverted  husband ;  husband,  speak  to  your  un- 
converted wife.  Do  not  let  a  man  go  out  of  this  house  saying, 
"  Nobody  cared  for  my  soul."  I  never  saw  a  mother  burdened  for 
her  children  but  they  soon  became  anxious.  Oh  may  there  be 
many  a  sinner  seeking  the  kingdom  of  God  with  all  their  heart ! 

Before  I  close,  I  want  to  ask  you  once  more,  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do  ?  If  the  Lord  is  near,  won't  you  call  upon  Him  ? 
Don't  let  that  scoffing  man  next  you  keep  you  out  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  There  is  a  scornful  look  upon  that  man's  face  -,  perhaps 
he  is  making  light  of  what  I  am  saying.  Don't  mind  him  ;  don't 
look  to  him  j  but  just  look  right  up  to  God,  and  ask  Him  to  save 
you.  Now,  every  true  friend — and  you  all  have  friends — every 
true  friend,  if  you  could  get  his  advice  to-night,  would  tell  you  to 
be  saved  now.  Ask  that  minister  sitting  next  you,  "  Had  I  better 
seek  the  kingdom  of  God  to-night  ?"  What  does  he  tell  you  ?  "  By 
all  means,  don't  put  it  off  another  minute."  Ask  that  godly  praying 
mother  by  your  side,  "  Is  it  best  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  to- 
night ? "  Does  she  say,  Put  it  off  one  week,  or  put  it  off  one 
month  ?  Do  you  think  that  mother  would  say  that  ?  There  is  not 
a  Christian  mother  in  this  hall  who  would  say  it.     I  doubt  if  there 


SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST.  65 

is  an  unconverted  mother  even  here  whose  advice  would  be  to 
put  off  becoming  a  Christian.  Ask  that  praying  sister  of  yours, 
ask  that  praying  brother,  ask  any  friend  you  have  here — if  you  are 
sitting  near  one — whether  it  is  not  the  very  best  thing  you  can  do. 
And  then  cry  up  to  heaven  and  ask  Him  who  is  sitting  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,  and  who  loves  you  more  than  your  father  or  your 
mother,  or  any  one  on  earth — who  loves  you  so  much  that  He  gave 
Himself  for  you  ;  ask  Him  what  he  will  have  you  do,  and  hear 
his  voice  from  the  throne,  et  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God." 
And  then  shout  down  to  the  infernal  regions,  and  ask  those  down 
there,  and  what  will  they  say  ?  "  Send  some  one  to  my  father's 
house,  for  I  have  five  brethren,  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest 
they  also  come  into  this  place."  Heaven,  earth,  and  hell  unite  in 
this  one  thing,  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God."  Don't  put  it 
off.  Call  upon  Him  while  He  is  near.  And  if  you  call  upon  Him 
in  real  earnest  He  will  hear  that  call. 

You  may  call  too  late.  I  have  no  doubt  that  those  who  would 
not  pray  when  the  ark  was  building  prayed  when  the  flood  came, 
but  their  prayer  was  not  answered.  I  have  no  doubt  that  when 
Lot  went  out  of  Sodom,  Sodom  cried  to  God,  but  it  was  too  late, 
and  God's  judgment  swept  them  from  the  earth.  My  friends,  it  is 
not  too  late  now,  but  it  may  be  at  twelve  o'clock  to-night.  I 
cannot  find  any  place  in  this  Bible  where  I  can  say  you  may  call 
to-morrow.  I  am  not  justified  in  saying  that.  "  Behold,  now  is 
the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  Those  men  of 
Jerusalem,  what  a  golden  opportunity  they  had,  with  Christ  in 
their  midst.  We  see  the  Son  of  God  weeping  over  Jerusalem,  his 
heart  bursting  with  grief  for  the  city,  as  He  cried,  "  O  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem !  thou  that  stonest  the  prophets,  how  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thee  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  brood,  but  ye  would  not." 
He  could  look  down  forty  years,  and  see  Titus  coming  with  his 
army,  and  besieging  that  city.  They  called  upon  God  then, 
but  it  was  too  late,  and  eleven  hundred  thousand  people  perished. 
To-night  -is  a  time  of  mercy.  It  may  be  I  am  talking  to 
some  one  to-night  whose  days  of  grace  may  be  few,  to  some  one 
who  may  be  snatched  away  very  soon.  There  may  be  some  one 
here  to-night  who  may  never  hear  another  gospel  sermon ;  some 
one  who  may  be  hearing  the  last  call.     My  friend,  be  wise  to 

5 


66  SINNERS  SEEKING  CHRIST. 

night.  Make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  seek  the  kingdom 
of  God  now.  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  behold,  now  is 
the  day  of  salvation."  Christ  is  inviting  you  to  come — c<  Come  unto 
Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest/' 
Oh,  may  we  all  find  rest  in  Christ  to-night !  Do  not  let  anything 
divert  your  minds,  but  this  night,  this  hour,  make  up  your  mind 
that  you  will  not  leave  this  hali  until  the  great  question  of  eternity 
has  been  settled. 


VI. 

WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 

Matt.  xxii.  42. 


I  suppose  there  is  no  one  here  who  has  not  thought,  more  or  less, 
about  Christ.  You  have  heard  about  Him,  and  read  about  Him, 
and  heard  men  preach  about  Him.  For  eighteen  hundred  years 
men  have  been  talking  about  Him,  and  thinking  about  Him  ;  and 
some  have  their  minds  made  up  about  who  He  is,  and  doubtless 
some  have  not.  And  although  all  these  years  have  rolled  away, 
this  question  comes  up,  addressed  to  each  of  us,  to-day,  u  What 
think  ye  of  Christ  ?  " 

I  do  not  know  why  it  should  not  be  thougnt  a  proper  question 
for  one  man  to  put  to  another.  If  I  were  to  ask  you  what  you 
think  of  any  of  your  prominent  men,  you  would  already  have  your 
mind  made  up  about  him.  If  I  were  to  ask  you  what  you  think 
of  your  noble  Queen,  you  would  speak  right  out  and  tell  me  your 
opinion  in  a  minute.  If  I  were  to  ask  about  your  prime  minister, 
you  would  tell  me  freely  what  you  had  for  or  against  him.  And 
why  should  not  people  make  up  their  minds  about  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christy  and  take  their  stand  for  or  against  Him  ?  If  you  think 
well  of  Him,  why  not  speak  well  of  Him,  and  range  yourselves  on 
his  side  ?  And  if  you  think  ill  of  Him,  and  believe  Him  to  be  an 
impostor,  and  that  He  did  not  die  to  save  the  world,  why  not  lift 
up  your  voice,  and  say  you  are  against  Him  ?  It  would  be  a  happy 
day  for  Christianity  if  men  would  just  take  sides — if  we  could 
know  positively  who  was  really  for  Him,  and  who  was  against 
Him. 

It  is  of  very  little  importance  what  the  world  thinks  of  any  one 
else.    The  Queen  and  the  statesman,  the  peers  and  the  princes* 


68  WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 

must  soon  be  gone.  Yes ;  it  matters  little,  comparatively,  what 
we  think  of  them.  Their  lives  can  only  interest  a  few ;  bat  every 
living  soul  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  concerned  with  this  Man. 
The  question  for  the  world  is,  "  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  "  I  do 
not  ask  you  what  you  think  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  or  of  the 
Presbyterians,  or  the  Baptists,  or  the  Roman  Catholics  j  I  do  not 
ask  you  what  you  think  of  this  minister  or  that,  of  this  doctrine  or 
that ;  but  I  want  to  ask  you  what  you  think  of  the  living  person 
of  Christ  ? 

I  should  like  to  ask,  Was  He  really  the  Son  of  God — the  great 
God-man  ?  Did  He  leave  heaven  and  come  down  to  this  world  for 
a  purpose  ?  Was  it  really  to  seek  and  to  save  ?  I  should  like  to 
begin  with  the  manger,  and  follow  Him  up  through  the  thirty- 
three  years  He  was  here  upon  earth.  I  should  ask  you  what  you 
think  of  his  coming  into  this  world,  and  being  born  in  a  manger 
when  it  might  have  been  a  palace ;  why  He  left  the  grandeur  and 
the  glory  of  heaven,  and  the  royal  retinue  of  angels ;  why  He 
passed  by  palaces  and  crowns  and  dominion,  and  came  down  here 
alone  ? 

I  should  like  to  ask  what  you  think  of  Him  as  a  teacher.  He 
spake  as  never  man  spake.  I  should  like  to  take  Him  up  as  a 
preacher.  I  should  like  to  bring  you  to  that  mountain  side,  that 
we  might  listen  to  the  words  as  they  fall  from  his  gentle  lips. 
Talk  about  the  preachers  of  the  present  day !  I  would  rather  a 
thousand  times  be  rive  minutes  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  than  listen  a 
lifetime  to  all  the  wise  men  in  the  world.  He  used  just  to  hang 
truth  upon  anything.  Yonder  is  a  sower,  a  fox,  a  bird,  and  He 
just  gathers  the  truth  round  them,  so  that  you  cannot  see  a  fox,  a 
sower,  or  a  bird,  without  thinking  what  Jesus  said.  Yonder  is  a 
lily  of  the  valley,  you  cannot  see  it  without  thinking  of  his  words, 
"  They  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin.''  He  makes  the  little 
sparrow  chirping  in  the  air  preach  to  us.  How  fresh  those  won- 
derful sermons  are,  how  they  live  to-day  !  How  we  love  to  tell 
them  to  our  children,  how  the  children  love  to  hear  !  "  Tell  me  a 
story  about  Jesus,"  how  often  we  hear  itj  how  the  little  ones 
love  his  sermons !  No  story-book  in  the  world  will  ever  interest 
them  like  the  stories  that  He  told.  And  yet  how  profound  He 
was  j  how  He  puzzled  the  wise  men  5  how  the  scribes  and  the 


WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?  69 

Pharisees  could  never  fathom  Him !  Oh,  do  you  not  think  He 
was  a  wonderful  preacher  ? 

I  should  like  to  ask  you  what  you  think  of  Him  as  a  physician. 
A  man  would  soon  have  a  reputation  as  a  doctor  if  he  could  cure 
as  Christ  did.  No  case  was  ever  brought  to  Him  but  what  He 
was  a  match  for.  He  had  but  to  speak  the  word,  and  disease  fled 
before  Him.  Here  comes  a  man  covered  with  leprosy.  "  Lord,  if 
Thou  wilt  Thou  canst  make  me  clean,"  he  cries.  "  I  will/'  says  the 
Great  Physician,  and  in  an  instant  the  leprosy  is  gone.  The  world 
has  hospitals  for  incurable  diseases  j  but  there  were  no  incurable 
diseases  with  Him. 

Now  see  Him  in  the  little  home  at  Bethany,  binding  up  the 
wounded  hearts  of  Martha  and  Mary,  and  tell  me  what  you  think 
of  Him  as  a  comforter.  He  is  a  husband  to  the  widow,  and  a 
father  to  the  fatherless.  The  weary  may  find  a  resting-place  upon 
that  breast,  and  the  friendless  may  reckon  Him  their  friend.  He 
never  varies,  He  never  fails,  He  never  dies.  His  sympathy  is- 
ever  fresh,  His  love  is  ever  free.  O  widow  and  orphans,  O 
sorrowing  and  mourning,  will  you  not  thank  God  for  Christ  the 
comforter  ? 

But  these  are  not  the  points  I  wish  to  take  up.  Let  us  go  to 
those  who  knew  Christ,  and  ask  what  they  thought  of  Him.  If 
you  want  to  find  out  what  a  man  is  now-a-days,  you  inquire  about 
him  from  those  who  know  him  best.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  partial ; 
we  will  go  to  his  enemies,  and  to  his  friends.  We  will  ask 
them,  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  We  will  ask  his  friends  and 
his  enemies.  If  we  only  went  to  those  who  liked  Him,  you 
would  say,  "  Oh,  he  is  so  blind ;  he  thinks  so  much  of  the  man 
that  he  can't  see  his  faults.  You  can't  get  anything  out  of  him, 
unless  it  be  in  his  favour  ;  it  is  a  one-sided  affair  altogether."  So 
we  shall  go  in  the  first  place  to  his  enemies,  to  those  who  hated 
Him,  persecuted  Him,  cursed  and  slew  Him.  I  shall  put  you  in  the 
jury-box,  and  call  upon  them  to  tell  us  what  they  think  of  Him. 

First,  among  the  witnesses,  let  us  call  upon  the  Pharisees. 
We  know  how  they  hated  him.  Let  us  put  a  few  questions  to 
them.  Come,  Pharisees,  tell  us  what  you  have  against  the  Son  of 
God.     What  do  you  think  of  Christ?     Hear  what  they  say  !     This 


70  WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 

man  receiveth  sinners.  What  an  argument  to  bring  against  Him  ! 
Why,  it  is  the  very  thing  that  makes  us  love  Him.  It  is  the  glory 
of  the  gospel.  He  receives  sinners.  If  He  had  not,  what  would 
have  become  of  us  ?  Have  you  nothing  more  to  bring  against 
Him  than  this  ?  Why,  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  compliments  that 
was  ever  paid  Him.  Once  more ;  when  He  was  hanging  on  the 
tr^e,  you  had  this  to  say  of  Him,  "  He  saved  others,  Himself  He 
cannot  save."  And  so  He  did  save  others,  but  He  could  not 
save  Himself  and  save  us  too.  So  He  laid  down  his  own  life  for 
yours  and  mine.  Yes,  Pharisees,  you  have  told  the  truth  for  once 
in  your  lives !  He  saved  others.  He  died  for  others.  He  was  a 
ransom  for  many  ;  so  it  is  quite  true  what  you  think  of  Him — He 
saved  others,  Himself  He  cannot  save. 

Now,  let  us  call  upon  Caiaphas.  Let  him  stand  up  here  in  his 
flowing  robes  ;  let  us  ask  him  for  his  evidence.  "  Caiaphas,  you 
were  chief  priest  when  Christ  was  tried ;  you  were  president  of  the 
Sanhedrim ;  you  were  in  the  council- chamber  when  they  found 
Him  guilty ;  you  yourself  condemned  Him.  Tell  us ;  what  did 
the  witnesses  say  ?  On  what  grounds  did  you  judge  Him  ?  What 
testimony  was  brought  against  Him  ? 

"  He  hath  spoken  blasphemy,"  says  Caiaphas.  "  He  said, 
'  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand 
of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.'  When  I  heard 
that,  I  found  Him  guilty  of  blasphemy  j  I  rent  my  mantle,  and 
condemned  Him  to  death."  Yes,  all  that  they  had  against  Him 
was  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God  j  and  they  slew  Him  for  the 
promise  of  his  coming  for  his  bride. 

Now,  let  us  summon  Pilate.  Let  him  enter  the  witness-box. 
Pilate,  this  man  was  brought  before  you  ;  you  examined  Him $  you 
talked  with  Him  face  to  face,  w hat  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  "  I  find 
no  fault  in  Him,"  says  Pilate.  "  He  said  He  was  the  King  of  the 
Jews  "  (just  as  he  wrote  it  over  the  cross)  ;  "but  I  find  no  fault 
in  Him."  Such  is  the  testimony  of  the  man  who  examined  Him ! 
And,  as  he  stands  there,  the  centre  of  a  Jewish  mob,  there  comes 
along  a  man,  elbowing  his  way,  in  haste.  He  rushes  up  to  Pilate 
and,  thrusting  out  his  hand,  gives  him  a  message.  He  tears  it 
open  ;  his  face  turns  pale  as  he  reads — "  Have  thou  nothing  to  do 
with  this  just  man3  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a 


WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 


dream  because  of  Him."  Jt  is  from  Pilate's  wife — her  testimony 
to  Christ.  You  want  to  know  what  his  enemies  thought  of  Him  ? 
You  want  to  know  what  a  heathen  thought  ?  Well,  here  it  is, 
"no  fault  in  Him  5"  and  the  wife  of  a  heathen,  "  this  just 
man  ! " 

And  now,  look — in  comes  Judas.  He  ought  to  make  a  good 
witness.  Let  us  address  him.  "  Come,  tell  us,  Judas,  what  think 
ye  of  Christ.  You  knew  the  Master  well  j  you  sold  Him  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  5  you  betrayed  Him  with  a  kiss  5  you  saw  Him 
perform  those  miracles  5  you  were  with  Him  in  Jerusalem.  In 
Bethany,  when  He  summoned  up  Lazarus,  you  were  there.  What 
think  ye  of  Him  ?  "  I  can  see  him  as  he  comes  into  the  presence 
of  the  chief  priests ;  I  can  hear  the  money  ring  as  he  dashes  it 
upon  the  table — "  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood!"  Here  is  the 
man  who  betrayed  Him,  and  this  is  what  he  thinks  of  Him !  Yes, 
my  friends,  God  has  made  every  man  who  had  anything  to  do  with 
the  death  of  his  Son  put  their  testimony  on  record  that  He  was 
an  innocent  Man. 

Let  us  take  the  Centurion,  who  was  present  at  the  execution. 
He  had  charge  of  the  Roman  soldiers.  He  had  told  them  to 
make  Him  carry  his  cross  j  he  had  given  orders  for  the  nails  to  be 
driven  into  his  feet  and  hands,  for  the  spear  to  be  thrust  in  his  side. 
Let  the  Centurion  come  forward.  "  Centurion,  you  had  charge  of 
the  executioners ;  you  saw  that  the  order  for  his  death  was  carried 
out ;  you  saw  Him  die ;  you  heard  Him  speak  upon  the  cross.  Tell 
us,  what  think  you  of  Christ?"  Hark!  Look  at  him;  he  is 
smiting  his  breast  as  he  cries,  "  Truly,  this  was  the  Son  of  God  !  " 

I  might  go  to  the  thief  upon  the  cross,  and  ask  what  he  thought 
of  Him.  At  first  he  railed  upon  Him  and  reviled  Him.  But 
then  he  thought  better  of  it.  "This  man  hath  done  nothing 
amiss,"  he  says.  I  might  go  further.  I  might  summon  the  very 
devils  themselves  and  ask  them  for  their  testimony.  Have  they 
anything  to  say  of  Him  ?  Why,  the  very  devils  called  Him  the 
Son  of  God  !  In  Mark  we  have  the  unclean  spirit  crying,  "  Jesus, 
Thou  Son  of  the  most  High  God."  Men  say,  "  Oh,  I  believe 
Christ  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  and  because  I  believe  it  intellectually, 
I  shall  be  saved."  I  tell  you  the  devils  did  that.  And  they  did 
more  than  that,  they  trembled. 


72  WHA  T  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST  ? 

Let  us  bring  in  his  friends.  We  want  you  to  hear  theii 
evidence.  Let  us  call  that  prince  of  preachers.  Let  us  heat 
the  forerunner,  the  wilderness  preacher,  John.  Save  the  Master 
Himself,  none  ever  preached  like  this  man — this  man  who  drew 
all  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea  into  the  wilderness  to  hear  him-, 
this  man  who  burst  upon  the  nations  like  the  flash  of  a 
meteor.  Let  John  the  Baptist  come  with  his  leathern  girdle 
and  his  hairy  coat,  and  let  him  tell  us  what  he  thinks  d 
Christ.  His  words,  though  they  were  echoed  in  the  wilderness 
of  Palestine,  are  written  in  the  Book  for  ever,  "  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  This  is  what 
John  the  Baptist  thought  of  Him.  "  I  bare  record  that  He  is  the 
Son  of  God."  No  wonder  he  drew  all  Jerusalem  and  Judea  to 
him,  because  he  preached  Christ.  \And  whenever  men  preach 
Christ,  they  are  sure  to  have  plenty  of  followers; 

Let  us  bring  in  Peter,  who  was  with  Him  on  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  who  was  with  Him  the  night  He  was  betrayed. 
u  Come,  Peter,  tell  us  what  you  think  of  Christ.  Stand  in 
this  witness-box  and  testify  of  Him.  You  denied  Him  once. 
You  said,  with  a  curse,  you  did  not  know  Him.  Was  it 
true,  Peter?  Don't  you  know  Him?"  <f  Know  Him  !  "  lean 
imagine  Peter  saying  j  "  It  was  a  lie  I  told  them.  I  did  know 
Him."  Afterwards  I  can  hear  him  charging  home  their  guilt 
upon  these  Jerusalem  sinners.  He  calls  Him  "  both  Lord  and 
Christ."  Such  was  the  testimony  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
"  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  both  Lord  and  Christ."  And 
tradition  tells  us  that  when  they  came  to  execute  Peter,  he  felt 
he  was  not  worthy  to  die  in  the  way  his  Master  died,  and  he 
requested  to  be  crucified  with  his  head  downwards.  So  much  did 
Peter  think  of  Him  ! 

Now  let  us  hear  from  the  beloved  disciple  John.  He  knew 
more  about  Christ  than  any  other  man.  He  had  laid  his  head  on 
his  Saviour's  bosom.  He  had  heard  the  throbbing  of  that  loving 
heart.  Look  into  his  gospel  if  you  wish  to  know  what  he  thought 
of  Him. 

Matthew  writes  of  Him  as  the  Royal  King  come  from  his 
throne.  Mark  writes  of  Him  as  the  servant,  and  Luke  as  the  Son  of" 
Man.  John  takes  up  his  pen,  and,  with  one  stroke,  for  ever  settles 


WHA  T  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST  f  73 

the  question  of  Unitarianism.  He  goes  right  back  before  the 
time  of  Adam.  "  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word 
was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God."  Look  into  Revelation. 
He  calls  Him  "the  bright  and  the  Morning  Star."  So  John 
thought  well  of  Him  — because  he  knew  him  well. 

We  might  bring  in  Thomas,  the  doubting  disciple.  "You 
doubted  Him,  Thomas  ?  You  would  not  believe  He  had  risen,  and 
you  put  your  fingers  into  the  wound  in  his  side.  What  do  you 
think  of  Him  ?  "     "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "   says  Thomas. 

Then  go  over  to  Decapolis  and  you  will  find  Christ  has  been 
there  casting  out  devils.  Let  us  call  the  men  of  that  country  and 
ask  what  they  tKink  of  Him.  "  He  hath  done  all  things  well  "  they 
say. 

But  we  have  other  witnesses  to  bring  in.  Take  the  perse- 
cuting Saul,  once  one  of  the  worst  of  his  enemies.  Breathing 
out  threatenings,  he  meets  Him.  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  Me?"  says  Christ}  and  He  might  have  added,  "What 
have  I  done  to  you  ?  Have  I  injured  you  in  any  way  ?  Did  I 
not  come  to  bless  you  ?  Why  do  you  treat  Me  thus,  Saul  ? " 
And  then  Saul  asks,  "  Who  art  Thou,  Lord  ?  "  "I  am  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  whom  thou  persecutest."  You  see,  He  was  not  ashamed 
of  his  name ;  although  He  had  been  in  heaven,  "  I  am  Jesus  oj 
Nazareth."  What  a  change  did  that  one  interview  make  to  Paul ! 
A  few  years  after  we  hear  him  say,  "  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
things,  and  do  count  them  but  dross  that  I  may  win  Christ." 
Such  a  testimony  to  the  Saviour  ! 

But  I  shall  go  still  further.  I  shall  go  away  from  earth  into 
the  other  world.  I  shall  summon  the  angels  and  ask  what  they 
think  of  Christ.  They  saw  Him  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father 
before  the  world  was.  Before  the  dawn  of  creation ;  before  the 
morning  stars  sang  together,  He  was  there.  They  saw  Him 
leave  the  throne  and  come  down  to  the  manger.  What  a  scene 
for  them  to  witness !  Ask  these  heavenly  beings  what  they 
thought  of  Him  then.  For  once  they  are  permitted  to  speak  5  for 
once  the  silence  of  heaven  is  broken.  Listen  to  their  song  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem,  "  Behold,  I  bring  you.  good  tidings  of  great 
joy  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  bom  this  day,  111 
the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord."     He  leaves 


74  WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 

the  throne  to  save  the  world.  Is  it  a  wonder  the  angels  thought 
well  of  Him  ? 

Then  there  are  the  redeemed  saints — they  that  see  Him  face  to 
face.  Here  on  earth  He  was  never  known,  no  one  seemed  really 
to  be  acquainted  with  Him  5  but  He  was  known  in  that  world 
where  He  had  been  from  the  foundation.  What  do  they  think  of 
Him  there  ?  If  we  could  hear  from  heaven,  we  should  hear  a 
shout  which  would  glorify  and  magnify  his  name.  We  are  told 
that  when  John  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's-day,  and  being 
caught  up,  he  heard  a  shout  around  him,  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand,  and  thousands  and  thousands  of  voices,  "  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing  !  "  Yes,  He  is 
worthy  of  all  this.  Heaven  cannot  speak  too  well  of  Him.  Oh, 
that  earth  would  take  up  the  echo,  and  join  with  heaven  in  sing- 
ing, "Worthy  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing  !  ' 

But  there  is  yet  another  witness,  a  higher  still.  Some  think 
that  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Christ  of  the  New. 
But  when  Jesus  came  out  of  Jordan,  baptized  by  John,  there 
came  a  voice  from  heaven.  God  the  Father  spoke.  It  was  his 
testimony  to  Christ :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased."  Ah,  yes !  God  the  Father  thinks  well  of  the  Son. 
And  if  God  is  well  pleased  with  Him,  so  ought  we.  If  the  sinner 
and  God  are  well  pleased  with  Christ,  then  the  sinner  and  God 
can  meet.  The  moment  you  say  as  the  Father  said,  "  I  am  well 
pleased  with  Him,"  and  accept  Him,  you  are  wedded  to  God. 
Will  you  not  believe  the  testimony  ?  Will  you  not  believe  this 
witness,  this  last  of  all,  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  King  of  kings 
Himself  ?  Once  more  He  repeats  it,  so  that  all  may  know  it. 
With  Peter  and  James  and  John,  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration, 
He  cries  again,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son  -,  hear  Him."  And  that 
voice  went  echoing  and  re-echoing  through  Palestine,  through  all 
the  earth  from  sea  to  sea  j  yes,  that  voice  is  echoing  still,  Hear 
Him  I     Hear  Him  ! 

My  friend,  will  you  hear  Him  to-day  ?  Hark  !  what  is  He 
saying  to  you  ?  u  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.     Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and 


WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?  75 

learn  of  Me  j  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart ;  and  ye  shall  find 
rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is 
light."  Will  you  not  think  well  of  such  a  Saviour  ?  Will  you 
not  believe  in  Him  ?  Will  you  not  trust  in  Him  with  all  your 
heart  and  mind  ?  Will  you  not  live  for  Him  ?  If  He  laid  down 
his  life  for  us,  is  it  not  the  least  we  can  do  to  lay  down  ours  for 
Him  ?  If  He  bore  the  Cross  and  died  on  it  for  me,  ought  I  not 
to  be  willing  to  take  it  up  for  Him  ?  Oh,  have  we  not  reason  to 
think  well  of  Him.  Do  you  think  it  is  right  and  noble  to  lift  up 
your  voice  against  such  a  Saviour  ?  Do  you  think  it  is  just  to  cry, 
'*  Crucify  Him !  crucify  Him  !  "  Oh,  may  God  help  all  of  us  to 
glorify  the  Father,  by  thinking  well  of  his  only-begotten  Son 


VII. 

EXCUSES. 

Part  I. 


"  And  they  all  with  one  consent  began  to  make  excuse.  The  first  said 
unto  him,  I  have  bought  a  piece  of  ground,  and  I  must  needs  go 
and  see  it :  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused.  And  another  said,  I 
have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen,  and  I  go  to  prove  them :  I  pray 
thee  have  me  excused.  And  another  said,  I  have  married  a  wife, 
and  therefore  I  cannot  come." — Luke  xiv.  18—20. 

No  sooner  does  any  one  begin  to  preach  the  Gospel  than  men  and 
women  begin  "  to  make  excuse."  It  is  the  old  story.  There  is 
not  an  unsaved  person  here  but  has  got  some  excuse.  If  I  were 
to  go  to  each  of  you  and  ask  why  you  do  not  accept  God's  invi- 
tation to  the  Gospel  feast,  you  would  have  an  excuse  ready  on  the 
end  of  your  tongue  ;  and  if  you  had  not  one  ready,  the  devil 
would  be  there  to  help  you  to  make  one.  And  if  they  could 
be  answered  he  is  ready  to  make  new  ones.  He  has  had  six 
thousand  years'  experience,  and  he  is  very  good  at  it  j  he  can  give 
you  as  many  as  you  want. 

Do  you  know  the  origin  of  excuses  ?  You  will  find  it  away 
back  in  Eden.  When  Adam  had  sinned,  he  tried  to  excuse  him- 
self. "  The  woman  whom  Thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave 
me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat."  He  tried  to  lay  the  blame  on  God, 
Eve  tried  to  lay  it  on  the  serpent ;  and  down  to  the  present  time, 
men  and  women,  with  one  consent,  begin  to  make  excuse. 

Remember  that  these  men  Luke  tells  us  about  were  not  invited 
to  a  funeral,  or  to  hear  some  dry,  stupid  lecture  or  sermon  j  they 
were  not  invited  to  visit  an  hospital,  or  a  prison,  or  a  madhouse  j 
to  witness  some  terrible  scene  or  execution — something  that  would 
have  pained   them.     It    was   to    go    to  a   feast.     The   Gospel    is 


excuses:  77 

represented  in  the  Bible  as  a  feast.  In  the  evening  of  this  dispen- 
sation there  is  going  to  be  the  marriage  supper  of  God's  Son. 
Blessed  is  he  that  shall  be  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  If 
I  know  my  own  heart,  I  would  rather  be  torn  limb  from  limb,  or 
have  my  heart  taken  from  my  body  this  moment,  and  be  present  on 
that  glorious  day,  than  have  the  wealth  of  the  world  rolled  at  my 
feet,  and  miss  that  wonderful  banquet  at  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb. 

Not  only  was  this  a  feast,  but  it  was  a  royal  feast.  If  you  had 
the  honour  of  an  invitation  from  Windsor  Castle — if  Her  Majesty 
the  Queen  invited  you  to  some  great  banquet  got  up  in  honour 
of  her  son,  there  is  not  a  man  or  "woman  here  but  would  accept  the 
invitation.  You  would  all  want  it  to  be  put  into  the  papers,  to 
show  how  you  had  been  honoured.  But  here  is  something  worth 
more  than  that.  Here  is  an  invitation  from  the  King  of  kings, 
the  Lord  of  lords,  God's  only  Son.  By  and  by  He  will  take  his 
bride  into  the  bridal  chamber.  The  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb 
is  hastening  on.  He  has  gone  to  prepare  new  mansions  for  his 
bride ;  the  old  mansions  are  not  good  enough  j  and  He  will  come 
by  and  by  to  take  her  to  Himself.  It  is  an  invitation  to  this  feast 
that  I  bring  you.  The  invitations  are  going  out  now  to  every 
corner  of  the  earth.  There  is  not  one  here  who  is  not  invited. 
For  eighteen  hundred  years  God's  messengers  have  been  crossing 
over  valley  and  mountain,  over  desert  and  sea,  from  end  to  end 
of  the  earth,  inviting  men  and  women  to  the  Gospel  feast. 
What  an  honour  for  worms  of  the  dust !  When  man  prepares  a 
feast,  there  is  a  great  rush  to  see  who  will  get  the  best  place. 
But  God  prepares  his  feast,  and  the  chairs  would  all  be  empty 
if  his  disciples  did  not  go  out  and  compel  them  to  come  in. 

Then,  when  man  prepares  a  feast,  he  invites  his  friends,  those 
who  love  him  j  but  God  invites  his  bitterest  enemies,  those  who 
are  in  rebellion  against  Him.  And  yet  men  make  excuse !  No 
sooner  is  the  invitation  given  by  God  than  the  excuses  begin  to 
rain  in. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  what  would  take  place  if  God  should 
take,  at  his  word,  every  one  who  makes  excuse  ? — if  He  were  to 
say,  "  Yes,  if  you  want  to  be  excused  from  this  feast,  I  will 
excuse  you/'  and  with  the  next  stroke  should  sweep  them  all  from 
the  face  of  the  earth  ?     Supposing  every  one  in  this  land  should  be 


78  EXCUSES. 

taken  at  their  word,  and  laid  in  the  arms  of  death,  how  many  of  your 
shops  would  be  closed  to-morrow  j  how  many  homes  would  be  rilled 
with  mourning  and  tears?  Not  a  saloon-keeper  would  be  left  to  carry 
on  his  traffic  j  every  rum-seller  wants  to  be  excused.  He  knows  that 
if  he  accepts  of  this  invitation,  he  would  have  to  give  up  his  hellish 
trade.  He  could  not  go  on  making  all  those  fatherless  children,  and 
taking  the  bread  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  orphan  and  the  widow,  and 
be  going  on  his  way  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  at  the  same 
time.  Every  publican  and  every  drunkard  wants  to  be  excused.  If 
God  did  excuse  them  and  take  them  away  with  a  stroke,  you  would 
have  no  drunkards  reeling  through  your  streets.  There  would  be 
no  harlots  then,  for  every  harlot  wants  to  be  excused ;  she  knows 
she  has  to  give  up  her  sins  if  she  wants  to  be  present  at  the 
supper  of  the  Lamb.  And  your  princely  merchants,  many  of 
them,  would  be  gone.  They  do  not  want  to  accept  the  invita- 
tion, because  they  think  if  they  do  they  cannot  make  money  so 
fast.  They  are  carrying  on  some  business  which  would  then  have 
to  be  stopped,  and,  with  one  consent,  they  begin  to  make  excuse. 
But  oh,  my  friends,  it  would  be  a  solemn  time  if  God  should  take 
men  at  their  word.  The  grass  would  soon  be  growing  in  the 
streets,  and  the  living  would  be  occupied  in  burying  the  dead. 

Now,  be  honest  with  God  to-day.  God  is  honest  5  He  means 
what  He  says.  This  is  an  honest  invitation,  and  He  wants  us  to 
be  honest.  If  you  do  not  want  to  be  at  this  supper,  why  not 
say  so  ?  Why  make  excuses  ?  They  are  nothing  but  lies.  Is 
there  any  one  of  you  can  rise  up  and  give  a  reasonable  excuse — 
if  so,  tell  us  what  it  is — why  you  don't  accept  this  invitation? 
Think  for  a  minute.  What  valid  reason  can  you  give  ?  You  have 
none.  It  is  not  often  we  get  an  invitation  to  attend  a  royal  feast, 
but  here  comes  one  to  be  present  at  the  marriage  supper  of  God's 
only  Son.  Is  it  not  downright  folly  for  any  one  to  refuse  ?  Just 
think  what  you  are  asking  to  be  excused  from.  From  heaven  j 
from  the  society  of  the  pure  j  from  those  who  have  washed  their 
robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Man  asks  to  be  excused  from 
the  mansions  which  Christ  has  prepared  j  from  the  society  of  the 
angels ;  from  God  the  Father,  and  Christ  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.  All  the  really  great  men  of  the  world  are  not  down  here, 
they  are  in  heaven.     You  talk  of  the  great  men  in  England,  but  I 


EXCUSES.  79 

tell  you  the  best  this  earth  has  ever  had  are  there,  and  the  best  that 
ever  lived  will  be  gathered  at  that  feast.  For  six  thousand  years 
they  have  been  gathering  there — all  the  pure  of  the  earth — Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob.  Yes,  we  shall  sit  down  with  the  patriarchs 
and  prophets,  and  apostles  and  martyrs,  and  with  the  best  that 
have  lived  upon  this  earth.  I  would  rather  die  to-night  and  be  sure 
of  meeting  the  bliss  of  the  purified  in  yon  world  of  light,  than 
live  for  centuries  with  the  wealth  of  this  world  at  my  feet,  and 
miss  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  I  have  missed  many 
appointments  in  my  life,  but,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  mean  to  make 
sure  of  that  one.  Why,  the  blessed  privilege  of  sitting  down  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb,  to  see  the  King  in  his  beauty,  to  be 
for  ever  with  the  Lord,  who  would  miss  it  ? 

Let  us  take  up  these  three  men  who,  "  with  one  consent,  began 
to  make  excuse." 

What  did  the  first  one  say  ?  "  I  have  bought  a  piece  of  ground, 
and  I  must  needs  go  and  see  it."  Some  one  has  said,  Why  did  he 
not  look  at  the  ground  before  he  bought  it  ?  If  he  had  been  a  good 
business  man,  he  would  have  seen  his  ground  first,  he  couldn't  make 
the  bargain  any  better  by  going  to  look  at  it  now.  And  now  that  he 
has  got  it,  he  can  go  and  look  at  it  at  any  time ;  the  land  could  not 
run  away  !  It  was  not  that  he  had  made  a  partial  bargain  and  might 
withdraw,  or  that  some  one  might  step  in  ahead  of  him  and  get 
the  ground  from  him.  He  did  not  even  have  that  excuse.  He 
had  bought  the  land  j  there  was  no  fear  that  he  should  lose  his 
title  to  it.  Yet  he  must  needs  go  and  see  it.  Strange  time  to  go 
and  see  ground  just  at  supper-time !  On  the  face  of  it  it  was  a 
downright  lie.  He  did  not  want  to  go  to  the  feast,  and  so  he  manu- 
factured this  excuse  to  ease  his  conscience.  That  is  what  people 
make  excuses  for.  The  devil  gets  men  into  that  cradle  and  rocks 
them  to  sleep  in  it. 

What  did  the  second  man  say  ?  "I  have  bought  five  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  I  go  to  prove  them.  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused." 
Why  not  prove  them  before,  he  bought  them  ?  It  was  no  time  to 
prove  oxen  after  they  were  bought.  And  now  that  the  bargain 
was  closed  he  could  prove  them  any  time.  Why  not  let  them 
stand  in  the  stall  till  he  had  accepted  this  invitation  ?  Don't  you 
see  that  was  another  lie  ? 


80  EXCUSES. 

The  third  man's  excuse  was  the  most  ridiculous  of  them  all. 
"  I  have  married  a  wife  and  therefore  I  cannot  come."  Why  did  he 
not  take  his  wife  along  with  him  ?  Who  likes  to  go  to  a  feast 
better  than  a  young  bride  ?  He  might  have  asked  her  to  go  too  j 
and  if  she  were  not  willing,  then  let  her  stay  at  home.  The  fact 
was,  he  did  not  want  to  go. 

Eighteen  hundred  years  have  rolled  away,  and  they  tell  us 
the  world  has  grown  wiser ;  they  say  it  has  improved  wonderfully 
during  these  years ;  but  tell  me,  have  men  got  any  better  excuses  ? 
Young  lady !  can  you  give  a  better  excuse  ?  Have  you  got  an 
excuse  that  will  stand  the  light  of  eternity,  have  you  got  an  excuse 
that  will  even  satisfy  yourself  ?  Men  try  every  kind  of  excuse,  but 
the  man  does  not  live  who  can  give  a  good  one.  Let  some  terrible 
disease  lay  hold  of  a  man,  let  death  come  and  look  him  in  the  face, 
and  his  excuses  are  gone  m  a  moment.  My  friends,  your  excuses 
will  look  altogether  different  when  you  come  to  stand  before  the 
great  tribunal  of  your  Judge. 

I  would  just  like  to  take  up  some  of  the  popular  excuses  of  the 
present  day.  There  is  one  very  common  one,  "  I  do  not  like  this 
minister  or  that  preacher."  Well,  what  has  that  to  do  with  it  ? 
What  have  you  to  do  with  the  messenger  ?  Suppose  a  boy  comes  and 
gives  me  a  despatch,  some  good  news  from  my  wife.  I  don't  turn 
round  to  see  who  brings  it.  He  may  be  black  or  white,  that  is 
nothing  to  me.  It  is  the  message  I  care  for.  Is  it  not  the  fact 
that  God  invites  you  to  a  feast  ?  What  are  you  looking  at  the 
messenger  for?  I  have  heard  this  excuse  till  I  am  tired,  "  I  don't 
like  this  minister  or  that  minister,  this  person  or  that  one  who  calls 
himself  a  Christian."  Never  mind  about  the  messenger.  The 
question  is,  are  you  willing  to  receive  the  message  from  God  ?  Do 
you  believe  the  Word  of  God  is  true,  and  that  God  invites  you  to 
this  feast?  Do  you  believe  that  the  invitation  is  to  u every  crea- 
ture "  in  the  world  ?  You  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  preacher 
who  brings  the  message.  If  the  message  is  from  God,  I  ask  you, 
why  not  accept  it  ?  If  you  are  going  to  wait  until  you  find  some 
perfect  man  or  woman  to  bring  you  the  invitation,  you  will  never 
accept  it.  There  was  never  but  one  perfect  Man.  You  will  find 
a  good  .many  flaws  in  our  character,  a  good  many  things  you 
may  not  like  in  the  followers  of  Christ,  but  I  challenge  you  to  find 


EXCUSES.  8 1 

a  flaw  in  the  character  of  our  Master.  He  bids  you  come.  And 
any  one  who  accepts  the  invitation  He  will  receive. 

Another  excuse.  Only  the  other  night,  a  lady  came  to  me 
in  the  inquiry-room  and  said,  "  There  are  so  many  things  in  the 
Bible  I  cannot  understand."  No  doubt  about  that.  God  says, 
the  carnal  man  cannot  understand  spiritual  things,  and  the  Bible  is 
a  spiritual  book.  How  can  the  unregenerate  heart  understand  the 
Bible  ?  Well,  you  say,  if  it  is  a  sealed  book,  how  am  I  going  to  be 
saved  ?  Well,  when  God  put  salvation  before  the  world,  He  put 
that  very  plain.  The  Word  of  God  may  be  darkened  to  the  natural 
man,  but  the  way  of  salvation  is  written  so  plain,  that  the  little 
child  of  six  years  old  can  understand  it  if  she  will.  Take  this 
passage  and  see  if  you  do  not  understand  it  : — "  The  Spirit  and  the 
Bride  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come  ;  and  let  him 
that  is  athirst  come."  Are  not  many  of  you  thirsty  ?  God  says 
come.  "  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 
Then  you  know  what  it  is  to  take  a  gift  ?  God  puts  salvation 
before  you  as  a  gift.  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own 
received  Him  not ;  but  as  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."  You  can  understand  that  ? 
"Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
You  know  what  it  is  to  believe  ?  At  any  rate,  you  know  what  it 
is  to  trust,  to  commit  your  soul  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
that  is  all.  There  are  dark  and  mysterious  things  in  the  Bible 
now,  but  when  you  begin  to  trust  Christ  your  eyes  will  be  opened, 
and  the  Bible  will  be  a  new  book  to  you.  Many  things  that  are 
dark  and  mysterious  to-day,  to-morrow  will  have  a  new  beauty. 
It  will  become  the  Book  of  books  to  you.  To-day  Christ  may  be 
a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground,  without  form  or  comeliness ;  but  He  will 
become  to  you  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  the  altogether 
lovely,  the  bright,  and  the  morning  star,  if  you  take  Him  as  your 
Saviour.     Then  you  will  understand  the  Bible. 

No  book  in  the  world  has  been  so  misjudged  as  the  Bible. 
Men  judge  it  without  reading  it.  Or  perhaps  they  read  a  bit 
here  and  a  bit  there,  and  then  close  it  saying,  "  It  is  so  dark 
and  mysterious ! "  You  take  a  book,  now-a-days,  and  read  it. 
Some  one  asks  you  what  you  think  about  it.  "  Well,"  you  say,  "  I 
have  only  read  it  through  once,  not  very  carefully,  and  I  should  not 

6 


82  EXCUSES. 

like  to  give  an  opinion."  Yet  people  take  up  God's  book,  read  a 
few  pages,  and  condemn  the  whole  of  it.  Of  all  the  sceptics  and 
infidels  I  have  ever  met  speaking  against  the  Bible,  I  have  never  met 
one  who  read  it  through.  There  may  be  such  men,  but  I  have  never 
met  them.  It  is  simply  an  excuse.  There  is  no  man  living  who  will 
stand  up  before  God  and  say  that  kept  him  out  of  the  kingdom. 
It  is  the  devil's  work  trying  to  make  us  believe  it  is  not  true,  and 
that  it  is  dark  and  mysterious.  The  only  way  to  overcome  the  great 
enemy  of  souls  is  by  the  written  Word  of  God.  He  knows  that, 
and  so  tries  to  make  men  disbelieve  it.  As  soon  as  a  man  is  a 
true  believer  in  the  Word  of  God,  he  is  a  conqueror  over  Satan. 
Young  man  !  the  Bible  is  true.  What  have  these  infidels  to  give 
you  in  its  place?  What  has  made  England  but  the  open  Bible  ? 
Every  nation  that  exalteth  the  Word  of  God  is  exalted,  and  every 
nation  that  casteth  it  down  is  cast  down.  Oh,  let  us  cling  close  to 
the  Bible.  Of  course,  we  shall  not  understand  it  all  at  once. 
But  men  are  not  to  condemn  it  on  that  account.  Suppose  I  should 
send  my  little  boy,  five  years  old,  to  school  to-morrow  morning, 
and  when  he  came  home  in  the  afternoon  I  say  to  him,  "  Willie, 
can  you  read  ?  can  you  write  ?  can  you  spell  ?  Do  you  understand 
all  about  algebra,  geometry,  Hebrew,  Latin,  and  Greek  ?  "  "  Why, 
papa,"  the  little  fellow  would  say,  "  how  funny  you  talk ;  I  have 
been  all  day  trying  to  learn  the  ABC!"  Well,  suppose  I  should 
reply,  "  If  you  have  not  finished  your  education,  you  need  not  go 
any  more."  What  would  you  say  ?  Why,  you  would  say,  I  had 
gone  mad.  There  would  be  just  about  as  much  reason  in  that,  as 
in  the  way  that  people  talk  about  the  Bible.  My  friends,  the  men 
who  have  studied  the  Bible  for  fifty  years— the  wise  men  and  the 
scholars,  the  great  theologians — have  never  got  down  to  the  depths 
of  it  yet.  There  are  truths  there  that  the  Church  of  God  has  been 
searching  out  for  the  last  eighteen  hundred  years  but  no  man  has 
fathomed  the  depths  of  that  ever-living  stream. 

There  is  another  class  here,  who  say,  "  That's  not  my  diffi- 
culty. I  believe  the  Word  of  God.  But  if  I  could  speak  alone 
to  you,  I  would  tell  you  my  excuse.  The  fact  is,  I  love 
the  world  very  much,  and  if  I  become  a  Christian,  I  shall  have  to 
give  up  all  pleasure  and  go  through  the  world  with  a  long  face 
and  never  smile  again.     My  joy  will  be  for  ever  gone !  "     Well, 


EXCUSES.  83 

I  want  to  say  here,  that  no  greater  lie  was  ever  forged  than  that. 
The  devil  started  it  away  back  in  Eden ;  but  there  is  not  one  word 
of  truth  in  it j  it  is  a  libel  upon  Christianity.  It  does  not  make  a 
man  gloomy  to  become  a  child  of  God.  See  !  there  is  a  man  going 
to  execution.  In  a  few  moments  he  will  be  launched  into  eternity. 
But,  flashing  over  the  wires,  comes  a  message  from  the  Queen. 
She  sends  a  reprieve.  I  run  in  haste  to  the  man.  I  shout,  "  Good 
news  !  good  news  !  You  are  not  to  die  !  "  Does  that  make  him 
gloomy  ?  No !  no  !  no !  Young  men,  young  women,  old  and 
young,  don't  believe  Satan's  lies  any  longer.  It  is  the  want  of 
Christ  that  makes  men  gloomy.  Take  a  man  who  is  really  thirsty, 
dying  for  want  of  water,  and  you  go  and  give  him  water.  Is  that 
going  to  make  him  gloomy  ?  That  is  what  Christ  is — water  to 
the  thirsty  soul.  If  a  man  is  dying  for  want  of  bread,  and  you 
give  him  bread,  is  that  to  make  him  gloomy  ?  That  is  what 
Christ  is  to  the  soul — the  bread  of  life.  You  will  never  have 
true  pleasure  or  peace  or  joy  or  comfort  until  you  have  found 
Christ. 

The  idea  that  a  man  cannot  have  peace  and  joy  in  this  world, 
if  he  is  a  Christian,  is  all  folly.  That  used  to  be  my  difficulty. 
But  I  want  to  tell  you  I  had  more  joy  and  solid  comfort  and  peaoe 
the  first  year  after  I  was  converted,  than  I  had  all  my  previous  life 
put  together,  and  I  never  heard  of  any  young  convert  who  would 
not  testify  the  same  thing. 

Another  excuse— how  thick  they  are  !  The  air  is  full  of  them. 
I  hear  some  one  say,  "  Well,  I  should  like  to  be  a  Christian,  but  it 
is  a  very  hard  thing.  I  have  tried  it  a  good  many  times.  I 
would  not  like  to  speak  right  out,  but  that  is  just  the  honest  truth.*' 
I  will  tell  you  what  you  have  been  doing,  you  have  been  trying  to 
serve  God  with  the  old  carnal  mind.  You  might  as  well  try  to 
walk  to  the  moon !  It  is  utterly  impossible.  The  Ethiopian 
cannot  change  his  skin  ;  the  leopard  cannot  change  its  spots.  It 
is  impossible  to  serve  God  with  the  old  carnal  heart ;  but  with  the 
new  heart  God  will  give  you  the  power,  and  you  will  not  then  be 
talking  about  its  being  hard  to  serve  Him.  That  is  just  another 
lie.  Let  us  look  at  it.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  God  is  a  hard 
Master  ?  Do  you  say  it  is  a  hard  thing  to  serve  God,  and  do  you 
say  that  Satan  is  an  easy  master,  and  that  it  is  easier  to  serve  him 


84  EXCUSES. 

than  God  ?  Is  it  honest — is  it  true  ?  God  a  hard  master !  If  I 
read  my  Bible  right,  I  read  that  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard. 
Let  me  tell  you  it  is  the  devil  who  is  the  hard  master.  Yes.  "  The 
way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard."  The  Word  of  God  cannot  be 
changed.  If  you  doubt  it,  young  man,  look  at  the  convict  in  the 
prison,  right  in  the  bloom  of  manhood,  right  in  the  prime  of  life. 
He  has  been  there  for  ten  years,  and  must  remain  for  ten  years 
more — twenty  years  taken  out  of  his  life,  and  when  he  comes  out 
of  that  miserable  cell,  he  comes  out  a  branded  felon !  Do  you 
think  that  man  will  tell  you  "  The  way  of  the  transgressor  has  been 
easy  ?  "  Go  ask  the  poor  drunkard,  the  man  who  is  bound  hand 
and  foot,  the  slave  of  the  infernal  cup,  who  is  hastening  onwards  to 
a  drunkard's  hell.  Ask  him  if  he  has  found  the  way  of  the  trans- 
gressor easy.  "  Easy  ? "  he  will  cry — "  Easy  ?  "  The  way  of 
the  transgressor  is  hard,  and  gets  harder  and  harder  every  day!" 
Go,  ask  the  libertine  and  the  worldling  j  go  ask  the  gambler  and 
the  blasphemer — with  one  voice  they  will  tell  you,  that  the  service 
has  been  hard.  Take  the  most  faithful  follower  of  the  devil  and 
put  him  upon  this  platform  to-night,  and  let  us  put  questions  to 
him.  The  best  way  to  settle  this  question  is  to  find  out  by  the 
testimony  of  those  that  have  served  both  masters.  I  do  not  think 
a  man  has  any  right  to  judge  until  he  has  served  both.  If  I  heard 
a  man  condemn  a  master,  I  should  be  very  apt  to  ask  if  he  had 
served  him  5  and  if  he  had  not,  he  could  not  very  well  testify. 
Now,  if  you  have  served  two  masters  then  you  are  very  good 
judges.  I  want  to  stand  here  to-night  as  a-  witness  for  Christ. 
I  have  been  in  this  school  for  twenty  years,  and  I  want  to  testify 
to-night  that  I  have  found  him  an  easy  master.  I  used  to  say, 
as  you  do,  "  It  is  a  hard  thing  to  be  a  Christian,"  and  I  thought  it 
was  ;  but  now  I  tell  you  that  the  yoke  is  easy  and  the  burden 
light.  And  I  am  speaking  to  many  more  to-night  who  have 
served  both  masters.  Many  of  you  have  served  Christ  5  and  many 
of  ycu  before  you  were  brought  into  his  fold,  served  the  devil.  I 
would  like  to  ask  you,  you  that  are  Christ's,  you  who  have  served 
Him — some  five,  some  ten,  some  twenty  years— is  Jesus  a  hard 
master  ?  ("  No  !  No  !  ")  I  thought  you  would  say  No.  I  knew 
you  would.  I  never  heard  a  man  say,  "  I  have  served  Christ 
for  five  years,  or  for  ten,    and  found  him  a  hard  master."     And 


EXCUSES.  85 

now  let  me  put  you  into  the  witness-box  again.  For  many  years 
you  served  Satan,  some  of  you  are  serving  him  still,  "  Do  you  not 
find  him  a  hard  master."  ("  Yes  !  Yes  i  ")  Oh  yes  !  my  friends,, 
you  cannot  help  admitting  it,  you  know  it  is  true,  the  way  of  the 
transgressor  is  hard. 

Suppose  we  could  go  beyond  this  life ;  suppose  we  could  go 
down  to  the  bottomless  pit  and  summon  up  Judas,  who  has  been 
there  for  the  last  eighteen  hundred  years.  Suppose  we  put  the 
question  to  him,  "  Judas,  you  betrayed  the  Son  of  God,  sold  Him 
for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  You  have  served  the  devil  faithfully  3 
have  you  found  his  service  an  easy  one  ?  "  What  a  wail  would 
rise  from  these  lips!  Do  you  think  Judas  found  it  easy?  Do 
you  think  he  found  Satan  a  kind  master  ?  See  him  throwing  down 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver !  Why,  he  got  so  tired  of  the  devil's 
service  that  he  hanged  himself  twenty-four  hours  after  publicly 
entering  it. 

Now  let  us  call  upon  Paul  who,  you  may  say,  took  the  place 
that  Judas  once  filled ;  let  him  come  down  from  the  hill-tops  of 
glory.  Do  you  think  he  would  say  it  was  a  hard  thing  to  serve 
God,  and  an  easy  thing  to  serve  tne  devii  ?  "  I  served  the  devil 
well,"  he  says,  "  I  breathed  out  threatenings,  I  persecuted  the 
Church.     Bat  it  was  hard  for  me  to  kick  against  the  pricks." 

And  now  let  us  see  what  God  says  about  it.  I  would  like  to 
ask  those  who  think  Him  a  hard  master,  what  they  would  do 
with  a  passage  like  this,  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you  and  learn  of  Me  5  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden 
is  light  ?  "  Yes,  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  serve  any  one  we  love.  If 
you  love  a  person  how  you  delight  to  please  them. 

Oh,  my  friends,  do  not  dishonour  God  by  calling  Him  a  hard 
master.  Speak  to  the  young  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Look  at 
his  very  face.  See  how  his  eye  is  lit  up  with  a  light  from  heaven  5 
how  the  glow  from  Calvary  is  shed  around  his  path.  Let  him  tell 
of  the  peace  and  the  joy  he  has  found  in  the  service  of  Christ. 
Let  him  tell,  till  language  fails  him,  how  the  way  grows  lighter 
and  lighter  as  he  journeys  on,  how  his  hopes, grow  brighter  and 
brighter  as  he  nears  his  eternal  home.     Oh  yes,  there  is  a  vast 


86  EXCUSES. 

difference  in  the  yoke  of  Satan  and  the  yoke  of  Christ.  The  yoke 
of  the  Christian  is  easy  and  light ;  the  yoke  of  the  devil  is  heavy 
and  hard.  I  beg  of  you  do  not  listen  to  Satan's  lies.  He  has 
deceived  the  whole  human  race.  Oh,  will  you  not  just  change 
masters  to-night,  and  accept  of  the  invitation  to  be  present  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  ? 


EXCUSES. 

Part  II. 


Thf  next  excuse  I  want  to  take  up  is  "election."  I  meet  a  great 
many  in  the  inquiry-room  who  tell  me  they  are  very  anxious  to  be 
saved,  but  they  do  not  know  if  they  are  elected.  a  If  I  were  only 
sure  that  I  were  elected,"  they  say,  "I  would  soon  be  in  earnest 
about  salvation.  But  then  I  don't  know  that  I'm  one  of  the  elect, 
so  I  have  a  very  good  excuse."  Now  I  want  to  give  no  uncertain 
sound  upon  this  point.  I  want  to  say  that  an  unconverted  person 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  doctrine  of  election.  After 
you  have  become  children  of  God,  then  we  can  talk  about  election 
— then  we  can  talk  about  how  sweet  and  beautiful  the  doctrine 
is.  But  those  who  are  not  God's  children  have  nothing  at  all  to 
do  with  it.  You  do  not  like  any  one  to  read  your  private  letters, 
do  you  ?  Well,  the  doctrine  of  election  was  written,  in  a  private 
letter,  to  the  children  of  God.  No  wonder  the  world  puzzles  over 
it.  No  wonder  they  cannot  understand  it.  It  was  never  meant 
for  them.  What  they  have  to  do  with  is  the  "  Whosoever " 
and  the  "  Him  that  cometh,"  of  the  free  invitations  of  Christ. 

Suppose  I  am  taking  a  walk  near  this  hall  to-night,  and 
say  to  the  policeman  at  the  door,  "  Who  is  invited  to  this 
meeting?"  "Those  who  have  tickets,"  he  replies.  I  have  no 
ticket,  so,fit  is  not  for  me.     I  walk  on  further,  and  come  to  another 

meeting.     "  This    is    only  for    those    belonging   to   the 

Society,"  I  am  told,  so  I  know  it  is  not  for  me.  I  go  on  further, 
and  come  to  a  large  public  building — a  club.  "  Only  members 
admitted,"   I  read  at  the   door.     It  is  not  for  me  either.     I  go 


88  EXCUSES. 

further  still  and  come  to  another  building,  and  over  the  door  this 
is  written:  "Whosoever  will,  let  him  come  in."  Ah!  it  is  for 
me  this  time.  Whosoever — that  means  me — and  in  I  go.  My 
friends,  God  puts  it  just  like  that.  All  are  invited  to  come  to 
Christ.  What  have  you  to  do  with  Paul's  epistle  about  election  ? 
Why,  you  have  nothing  to  do  with  it — not  till  you  become  a 
Christian.  You  have  no  business  with  the  private  letters  of  other 
people,  and  the  "  whosoever  "  comes  before  election.  If  you  learn 
to  read,  you  commence  with  the  alphabet,  don't  you  ?  You  don't 
learn  to  read  all  at  once.  And  if  you  come  to  Christ  you 
must  come  in  God's  way ;  and  then  you  can  talk  about  how  you 
came. 

Yes,  but,  you  say,  there  is  another  side  to  that.  Christ  said, 
"  No  man  can  come  to  Me  except  the  Father,  which  hath  sent  Me, 
draw  him."  Well,  I  say  Christ  is  drawing  men.  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted 
up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me."  He  is  drawing  men,  but  they  will 
not  come.  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Him- 
self, and  drawing  men  unto  Him.  That  drawing  is  going  on  now, 
but  many  a  heart  is  fighting  against  the  strivings  of  the  Spirit. 
God  is  drawing  men  heavenward,  and  the  devil  is  drawing  them 
hellward. 

Supposing  a  man,  wishing  to  go  to  London,  should  say,  u  I 
don't  know  if  God  has  decreed  it.  If  I  am  to  be  there,  I  will  be 
there.  Anyhow,  it  is  no  use  my  taking  the  train.  What  is  the 
use  of  my  paying  the  fare  and  taking  trouble  about  it  ?  If  I  am 
elected  to  get  there,  I  will  get  there  somehow."  Who  would 
use  such  language  as  that  ?  Or  suppose  a  farmer  were  to 
say, "  I  am  not  going  to  plant ;  if  God  has  decreed  that  I  am  to 
nave  a  crop,  I  shall  have  it.  I  am  not  going  to  trouble  myself 
tilling  the  ground  or  working  hard ;  if  God  has  decreed  that  I 
will  have  a  good  harvest,  why,  I  shall  have  it  without  any  tilling.'-' 
Or  suppose  you  are  sick,  and  do  not  send  for  the  doctor.  Suppose 
you  say,  "  If  God  has  decreed  it,  I  shall  get  well,"  so  you  refuse 
to  take  the  medicines.  You  say,  "  There  is  no  use  in  it ;  if  God 
has  decreed  that  I  am  to  get  well,  I  will  get  well  without  it." 
Whoever  talks  in  that  way  ?  Yet  a  good  many  people  carry  out 
that  very  doctrine  with  regard  to  spiritual  things. 

I  have  an  idea  that  the  Lord  Jesus  saw  how  men  were  going 


EXCUSES.  89 

to  stumble  over  this  doctrine,  so  after  He  had  been  thirty  or  forty 
years  in  heaven,  He  came  down  and  spoke  to  John.  One  Lord's 
day  in  Patmos,  He  said  to  him,  "  Write  these  things  to  the 
churches."  John  kept  on  writing.  His  pen  flew  very  fast.  And 
then  the  Lord,  when  it  was  nearly  finished,  said,  **  John,  before 
you  close  the  book,  put  this  in :  '  The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say, 
Come  j  and  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come/  But  there  will  be 
some  that  are  deaf,  and  they  cannot  hear,  so  add,  '  Let  him  that  is 
athirst,  Come  5 '  and  in  case  there  should  be  any  that  do  not  thirst, 
put  it  still  broader,  '  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of 
life  freely.'"  What  more  can  you  have  than  that?  And  the 
Book  is  sealed,  as  it  were,  with  that.  It  is  the  last  invitation  in 
the  Bible.  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely."  You  are  thirsty.  You  want  water.  I  hold  out  this  glass 
to  you,  and  say,  "  Take  it."  You  say,  "  If  I  am  decreed  to  have 
it,  I  am  not  going  to  put  myself  to  the  trouble  of  taking  it."  Well, 
you  will  never  get  it.  And  if  you  are  ever  to  have  salvation,  you 
must  reach  out  the  hand  and  take  it.  "  I  w;ll  take  the  cup  of 
Salvation,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord."  Will  you  take  it 
to-night  ?  It  is  simple  enough  j  it  is  a  gift.  "  The  wages  of  sin 
is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life."  My  dear  friends,  do 
not  stumble  over  the  doctrine  of  election  any  longer.  You  will 
not  be  able  to  stand  up  before  God  and  say,  "  I  did  not  accept  the 
invitation  because  I  was  not  one  of  the  elect."  That  excuse  will 
fade  away  in  his  presence.  God  invites  every  man  and  woman  to 
the  gospel  feast  when  He  writes,  "Whosoever  will,  let  him 
take." 

I  can  imagine  there  is  a  man  down  there  who  says,  ft  That  is 
not  my  difficulty.  I  know  a  man  who  belongs  to  the  professing 
Church  of  Christ,  and  he  cheated  me  out  of  five  dollars  some  years 
ago.  There  are  hypocrites  in  the  Church,  and  I  am  not  going  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  it.  No  !  you  don't  catch  me  going  into 
company  with  hypocrites." 

Well,  I  will  find  you  two  hypocrites  in  the  world  for  every  one 
you  will  find  in  the  Church.  Besides,  I  am  not  asking  you  to 
come  to  the  Church — not  but  that  I  believe  in  churches — but  I 
am  asking  you  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  Come  to 
Christ  first,  and  then  we  can  talk  to  you  about  the  Church.     There 


90  EXCUSES. 

always  have  been  hypocrites  in  the  Church  and  always  will  be. 
One  of  the  twelve  apostles  turned  out  to  be  a  hypocrite,  and  there 
will  be  hypocrites  in  the  Church  to  the  'end  of  time.  But  there 
will  not  be  one  hypocrite  at  this  feast,  and  if  you  want  to  get  out 
of  the  company  of  hypocrites  you  had  better  make  haste  and  come 
to  Christ.  If  you  do  not  accept  the  invitation  you  will  have  to 
spend  eternity  with  them.  Suppose  every  one  here  were  a  black- 
hearted hypocrite,  what  has  that  to  do  with  you  ?  "  Follow  thou 
me/'  says  Christ.  You  are  not  to  be  looking  to  John,  or  Peter,  or 
Paul,  this  man  or  that,  but  straight  to  Christ.  You  may  find  many 
flaws  in  our  characters,  but  you  will  find  none  in  Christ's.  We  find  a 
good  many  in  ourselves,  and  you  may  too.  But  we  do  not  ask 
you  to  follow  us,  but  Christ.  There  will  be  no  hypocrites  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb ;  they  will  all  be  in  the  lost  world. 
And  if  you  do  not  accept  the  invitation  you  will  have  to  spend 
eternity  with  hypocrites.  So  if  you  really  object  to  them,  you  had 
better  make  sure  of  a  place  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

But  there  is  a  self-righteous  Pharisee  here  who  says,  "  Well,  I 
don't  understand  all  this  talk  about  conversion ;  I'm  good  enough 
as  I  am.  My  excuse  will  stand,  if  the  others  won't.  I  am  not 
going  into  that  inquiry-room  to  talk  with  these  people,  and  beg 
them  to  pray  for  me  ;  I  don't  need  it."  And  he  draws  his  filthy 
rags  of  self-righteousness  about  him  and  thinks  he  is  pure  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  man.  My  friend,  the  Word  of  God  says,  "  There 
is  none  righteous,  no  not  one."  If  you  are  found  with  your  own 
garment  on,  you  will  be  cast  out  from  this  feast.  He  will  furnish 
you  with  a  robe  of  spotless  white  if  you  will  accept  it,  but  you  need 
not  think  you  can  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  King  with  these 
miserable  rags  of  self-righteousness  about  you.  Oh,  may  the  Holy 
Spirit  show  you  how  vile  you  are  in  the  sight  of  a  holy  God.  The 
nearer  a  man  gets  to  God,  the  more  he  abhors  himself.  You 
know  when  a  man  is  getting  near  to  God  ;  he  begins  to  loathe 
himself.  Like  Job,  he  says,  "  I  abhor  myself."  Like  Isaiah, 
when  he  saw  the  holy  God,  he  cries  out,  "  Woe  is  me,  I  am  un- 
done." Like  that  holy  man  Daniel,  his  comeliness  is  turned  to 
corruption.  May  God  strip  you  of  your  self-righteousness  to- 
day ! 

But  here  is  another  excuse.     If  the  devil  cannot  make  a  man 


EXCUSES.  91 

believe  he  is  good  enough  without  being  saved,  then  he  will  tell 
him  he  is  so  bad  the  Lord  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  him.  A 
great  many  in  the  inquiry-room  have  that  excuse.  "  I  would  like 
to  be  saved,"  they  say,  "  but  I  am  too  bad."  That  is  another  lie. 
Why,  what  does  the  Scripture  say  ?  "  Christ  died  for  the  un- 
godly." Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  What 
did  Christ  say  to  his  disciples  ?  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  "  That  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem."  The  very  men  whose  hands  were 
dripping  with  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God,  had  salvation  offered 
to  them  !  Paul  said  he  was  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  if  he  was 
saved,  surely  there  is  hope  for  every  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
If  you  are  so  bad,  you  are  the  very  one  He  wants  to  save.  During 
our  war,  I  remember  the  doctor  used  to  go  after  a  battle  to  look  at 
the  wounded  men,  and  he  would  find  out  the  most  desperate  cases 
and  attend  to  them  first.  That  is  the  way  the  great  Physician  does 
now.  He  saves  the  worst  men  He  can  get.  I  know  a  great  many 
people  who  are  anxious  to  come,  but  they  are  waiting  until  they 
grow  a  little  better.  They  think  God  will  not  take  them  till 
then. 

Now,  notice,  my  friends,  the  Lord  invites  you  to  come  just  as 
you  are,  and  if  you  could  make  yourself  better  you  would  not  be 
any  more  acceptable  to  Him.  Do  not  put  these  filthy  rags  of  self- 
righteousness  about  you.  God  will  strip  every  rag  from  you  when 
you  come  to  Him,  and  clothe  you  with  glorious  garments.  When 
the  war  was  going  on,  we  would  sometimes  go  to  the  recruiting 
office  and  see  a  man  come  in  with  a  silk  hat,  broadcloth  coat,  calf- 
skin boots — his  suit  might  be  worth  $1005  and  another  man 
would  come  in  whose  clothes  were  not  worth  a  dollar;  but  they 
both  had  to  strip  and  put  on  the  uniform  of  the  country.  And  so 
when  we  go  into  Christ's  vineyard  we  must  put  on  the  livery  of 
heaven  and  be  stripped  of  every  rag.  So,  however  bad  you  are, 
come  just  as  you  are,  and  the  Lord  will  receive  you. 

I  have  read  of  an  artist  who  wanted  to  paint  a  picture  of  the 
Prodigal  Son.  He  searched  through  the  madhouses,  and  the  poor- 
houses,  and  the  prisons,  to  find  a  man  wretched  enough  to  repre- 
sent the  prodigal,  but  he  could  not  find  one.    One  day  he  was  walk- 


92  EXCUSES. 

ing  down  the  streets  and  met  a  man  whom  he  thought  would  do. 
He  told  the  poor  beggar  he  would  pay  him  well  if  he  came  to  his 
room  and  sat  for  his  portrait.  The  beggar  agreed,  and  the  day 
was  appointed  for  him  to  come.  The  day  came,  and  a  man  put  in 
his  appearance  at  the  artist's  room.  "  You  made  an  appoint- 
ment with  me,"  he  said,  when  he  was  shown  into  the  studio. 
The  artist  looked  at  him,  "  I  never  saw  you  before,"  he  said  ; 
"you  cannot  have  an  appointment  with  me."  ft  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I 
agreed  to  meet  you  to-day  at  ten  o'clock."  "  You  must  be  mis- 
taken 3  it  must  have  been  some  other  artist ;  I  was  to  see  a  l:eggar 
here  at  this  hour."  "Well,"  says  the  beggar,  "I  am  he." 
"You?"  "Yes."  "Why,  what  have  you  been  doing?" 
"Well,  I  thought  I  would  dress  myself  up  a  bit  before  T  got 
painted."  "  Then,"  said  the  artist,  "  I  do  not  want  you  ;  I  wanted 
you  as  you  were ;  now,  you  are  no  use  to  me."  That  is  the  way 
Christ  wants  every  poor  sinner,  just  as  he  is.  I  think  I  can  hear 
some  one  say,  "Oh,  but  my  heart  is  so  hard."  Well,  that  is  just 
the  very  reason  you  ought  to  come.  If  you  had  not  a  hard  heart  you 
would  not  need  a  Saviour.  Do  you  think  you  can  soften  your  heart  ? 
Can  you  break  your  heart  ?  Did  not  God  invite  the  hard-hearted  ? 
Did  not  Christ  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost  ?  It 
is  just  because  men's  hearts  are  hard  that  they  need  a  Saviour. 
So  that  is  no  excuse  at  all.  God  invites  you,  and  you  cannot 
stand  up  and  say  to  the  Great  King  you  did  not  accept  the  invita- 
tion because  you  had  a  hard  heart.  He  invites  "whosoever,"  and 
you  can  come  along  with  your  hard  heart  just  as  it  is. 

In  the  North  a  minister  was  talking  to  a  man  in  the  inquiry_ 
room.  "  My  heart  is  so  hard,  it  seems  as  if  it  was  chained,  and  I 
cannot  come,"  said  the  inquirer.  The  minister  said  to  him,  "Come 
along,  chain  and  all ;  "  and  he  just  came  to  Christ,  hard-hearted, 
chain  and  all,  and  Christ  snapped  the  fetters,  and  set  him  free  just 
there.  If  you  are  bound  hands  and  feet  by  Satan,  it  is  the  work 
of  God  to  break  the  fetters ;  you  cannot  break  them.  But,  thank 
God,  He  can  snap  the  fetters  of  every  sin-bound  soul  to-night,  and 
set  each  captive  free. 

Then  comes  another  excuse.  "  I  should  like  to  come,  but 
somehow  or  other  I  do  not  know  that  I  feel  just  right."  That  is 
a   very    common   excuse, — Feeling,   feeling,   feeling,    feeling !     I 


EXCUSES  93 

have  heard  that  cry  till  I  am  sick  of  it.  Suppose  a  friend  invites 
me  to  dinner  to-day,  and  I  say,  "  Well,  I  would  like  very  much  to 
take  dinner  with  you.  There  is  no  man  I  would  rather  dine  with 
than  yourself  3  but  I  do  not  know  that  I  feel  just  right."  "Are 
you  sick  ?  "  he  might  ask.  "  No,  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life." 
"Well,  what  do. you  mean?"  "1  don't  know  that  1  feel  just 
right.  I  do  not  know  that  I  will  be  in  a  right  state  of  mind."  "  I 
do  not  understand  you,"  he  would  say.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 
'''  Well,  T  would  like  to  go  very  much,  but  I  don't  feel  right." 
And  that  is  the  way  men  are  talking  now.  "  I  would  like  to  go 
to  heaven,  but  I  don't  know  that  I  have  got  the  right  kind  of 
feeling."  But,  my  friends,  if  you  realiy  want  to,  God  invites  you, 
and  that  is  all  about  it.  My  friend  urges  me  to  come,  but  I  keep 
on  saying,  "  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  in  the  right  state  of  mind." 
"  Why,"  he  would  say,  "  I  think  Mr.  Moody  must  have  gone  out 
of  his  mind.  I  invited  him  to  dinner,  and  instead  of  giving  me  a 
plain  answer  he  kept  talking  about  feeling  all  the  time  !  "  You 
may  smile  at  it,  but  that  is  just  the  way  people  talk  in  the  inquiry- 
room — hundreds  of  them.  My  friends,  does  God  invite  you  ?  If 
He  does,  why  don't  you  accept  the  invitation  ?  If  you  want  to 
come,  just  come  along,  and  don't  be  talking  about  feeling.  Do 
you  think  Lazarus  had  any  feeling  when  Christ  called  him  out  of 
the  sepulchre  ? 

My  friends,  God  is  above  feeling.  Do  you  think  you  can 
control  your  feelings  ?  I  am  sure  if  I  could  control  my  feelings 
1  never  would  have  any  bad  feelings,  I  would  always  have  good 
feelings.  But  bear  in  mind  Satan  may  change  our  feelings  fifty 
times  a  day,  but  he  cannot  change  the  Word  of  God ;  and  what 
we  want  is  to  build  our  hopes  of  heaven  upon  the  Word  of  God. 
When  a  poor  sinner  is  coming  up  out  of  the  pit,  and  just  ready 
to  get  his  feet  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages,  the  devil  sticks  out  a 
plank  of  feeling,  and  says,  "  Get  on  that,"  and  when  he  puts  his 
feet  on  that,  down  he  goes  again.  Take  one  of  these  texts — 
"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  My  word  and  believeth  on 
Him  that  sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into 
condemnation,  but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life."  My  friend, 
that  is  worth  more  than  all  the  feelings  that  you  can  have  in  a 
whole  lifetime.     I  would  a  thousand  times  rather  stand  on  that 


94  EXCUSES. 

verse  than  on  all  the  frames  and  feelings  I  ever  had.  I  took  my 
stand  there  twenty  years  ago.  Since  then  the  dark  waves  of  hell 
have  come  dashing  up  against  me ;  the  waves  of  persecution  have 
broken  all  around  me ;  doubts,  fears,  and  unbelief  in  turn  have 
assailed  me  -,  but  I  have  been  able  to  stand  firm  on  this  short 
word  of  God.  It  is  a  sure  footing  for  eternity.  It  was  true  1800 
years  ago,  and  it  is  true  to-night.  That  rock  is  higher  than  my 
feeling.  And  what  we  need  is  to  get  our  feet  upon  the  rock,  and 
the  Lord  will  put  a  new  song  in  our  mouths. 

But  I  hear  some  one  in  the  gallery  say,  "He  has  not 
touched  my  case  at  all.  None  of  these  things  ever  trouble 
me  j  but  the  fact  is,  /  cannot  believe.  I  would  like  to  come,  but 
I  cannot  believe."  Not  long  ago  a  man  said  to  me,  "  I  cannot 
believe."  "  Whom  ?  "  I  asked.  He  stammered  and  said  again,  "  I 
cannot  believe."  I  said,  "  Whom?"  "Well/;  he  said,  "I  can't 
believe."  "  Whom  ?  "  I  asked  again.  At  last  he  said,  "  I  cannot 
believe  myself."  "Well,  you  don't  need  to.  You  do  not  need 
to  put  any  confidence  in  yourself.  The  less  you  believe  in  your- 
self the  better.  But  if  yon  tell  me  you  can't  believe  God,  that  is 
another  thing  5  and  I  would  like  to  ask  you  why !  "  If  a  man 
says  to  me,  "  I  have  a  great  respect  for  you  j  I  have  a  great 
admiration  for  you  j  but  I  do  not  believe  a  word  you  say,"  I  say 
to  myself,  "I  certainly  do  not  think  much  of  your  admiration." 
But  that  is  the  way  a  good  many  people  talk  about  God.  They 
say,  "  I  have  a  profound  reverence  for  God  j  the  very  name  of 
God  strikes  awe  to  my  heart;  but  I  do  not  believe  Him."  Why 
don't  you  be  honest  and  say  at  once  you  won't  believe  ?  There  is 
no  real  reason  why  men  cannot  believe  God.  I  challenge  any 
infidel  on  the  face  of  the  earth  to  put  his  finger  on  one  promise 
God  has  ever  made  that  He  has  not  kept.  The  idea  of  a  man 
standing  up  in  the  afternoon  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  saying 
he  cannot  believe  God !  My  friend,  you  have  no  reason  for  not 
believing  Him.  If  you  say  you  cannot  believe  man-  there  would 
be  some  reason  in  that,  because  men  very  uiten  say  what  is  not 
true.  But  God  never  makes  any  mistakes.  u  Has  He  said  it  and 
shall  He  not  make  it  good  ? "  Believe  in  God  and  say  as  Job 
says  :  "  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  Him/'  Some  men 
talk  as  if  it  were  a  great  misfortune  that  they  do  not  believe* 


EXCUSES.  95 

They  seem  to  look  upon  it  as  a  kind  of  infirmity,  and  think  they 
owght  to  be  sympathized  with  and  pitied.  But  bear  in  mind  that 
it  is  the  most  damning  sin  of  the  world.  "  When  He,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  come,  He  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment ;  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  Me." 
That  is  the  sin  of  the  world — "  because  they  believe  not  on  Me." 
That  is  the  very  root  of  sin :  and  the  fruit  is  bad,  for  the  tree  is 
bad.  May  God  open  our  eyes  to  see  that  He  is  true,  and  may  we 
all  be  led  to  put  our  fullest  trust  in  Christ. 

But  you  say,  "  /  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  believe."  That  is 
another  excuse.  Well,  let  me  put  it  differently.  Suppose  I  say 
trust  Him — just  take  Him  at  his  word.  Believe  that  He  really 
invites  you — that  He  wants  you  to  come.  If  you  do  not  know 
what  it  is  to  believe,  will  you  not  just  trust  God? 

But  here  is  another  one  who  says,  "  I  would  like  to  come  very 
much,  but  /  am  afraid  I  would  not  hold  out."  Now,  I  have  had 
a  rule  for  a  number  of  years  that  has  been  a  great  help  to  me  — 
never  to  cross  a  mountain  until  you  come  to  it.  You  trust 
Christ  to  save  you  to-night.  The  devil  throws  a  little  straw 
across  your  path,  and  then  tries  to  magnify  it  and  makes  you  think 
it  is  a  great  mountain.  Never  mind  the  mountains ;  trust  Him 
to-night  to  save  you.  If  He  can  save  you  to-night,  He  can  keep 
you  to-morrow.  When  you  have  sat  down  at  the  banquet  and 
had  one  good  feast — when  you  have  had  one  interview  with 
Christ,  you  will  not  want  to  leave  Him.  I  accepted  this  invitation 
twenty  years  ago,  and  I  have  never  wanted  to  go  back.  I  have 
not  had  to  keep  myself  all  these  years.  I  would  have  been 
back  in  twenty-four  hours  if  I  had.  But  thank  God,  we  do  not 
have  to  keep  ourselves.  The  Lord  is  my  Keeper — my  Shepherd, 
I  shall  not  want.  He  keeps  us.  It  takes  the  same  grace  to  keep 
us  that  it  does  to  save  us.  And  God  has  told  us  that  "  My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  you.*' 

But  some  people  are  not  at  all  afraid  of  falling  away.  They 
are  sure  that  God  is  quite  able  to  save  them,  and  quite  strong 
enough  to  keep  them.  But  when  you  ask  them  if  they  are 
Christians,  they  say,  "  Well,  you  know,  /  would  like  to  be,  but  J 
have  no  time."  If  I  were  to  go  to  the  door  to-night,  and  take 
you  by  the  hand  and  say,  "My  friend,  why  not  accept  of  the 


9»  EXCUSES. 

invitation  to-night  ?  "  some  oi  you  would  say,     Please  just  excuse 
me  to-night.     I   have   really  no  time.     I   have  got   some   very 
pressing  business  to  attend  to  to-morrow  morning,  and  I  have  to 
go  home  as  fast  as  possible  to  get  my  night's  rest.     You  must 
really  excuse  me."     And  the  mothers  would  say,  "  We  have  to  run 
home  and  put  the  children  to  bed  j  you  must  excuse  us  for  this 
time."     So  thousands  and  thousands  say  they  have  no  time  to  be 
religious.     But,  my  friends,  what  have  you  done  with  all  the  time 
that  God  has  given  you  ?     What  have  you  been  doing  all  these 
months  and  years  that  have  rolled  away  since  He  gave  you  birth  ? 
Is  it  true  you  have  no  time  ?     What  did  you  do  with  the  36$  days 
of  last  year  ?     Had  you  no  time  during  all  these  twelve  months  to 
seek  the  Kingdom  of  God  ?     You  spend  twenty  years  getting  an 
education  to  enable  you  to  earn  a  living  for  this  poor  frail  body, 
So  soon  to  be  eaten  up  of  worms.     You  spend  seven  or  eight  years 
in  learning  a  trade,  that  you  may  earn  your  daily  bread  j  and  yet 
you  have  not  Jive  minutes  to  accept  of  this  invitation  of  Christ's ! 
My  friend,  bear  in  mind  you  have  yet  to  find  time  to  die  -,  to  stand 
in  the  presence  of  the  Judge.     And  when  He  calls  you  to  stand 
before  that  bar,  will  you  dare  to  tell  Him  that  you  had  no  time 
to  prepare  for  the  marriage  supper  of  his  Son  ?     You  have  no 
time  ?     Take  time  !     Let  everything  else  be  laid  aside  until  you 
have  accepted  of  this  invitation.     Do  you  not  know  that  it  is  a  lie  ? 
If  you  have  not  time,  take  it.     "  Seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
Let  the  children  sit  up  a  little  late  to-night.     Let  your  business 
be   suspended   to-morrow.     Suppose   you   do   not   get   so   much 
money  to-morrow.     What  matter  it  if  you  get  Christ  ?     Better  for 
a  man  to  be  sure  of  salvation  than  to  "gain  the  whole  -world  and 
lose  his  owft  soul." 

But  you  say  "  I  would  like  to  become  a  Christian,  but  /  have  a 
prejudice  against  these  special  meetings,  and  against  evangelists,  and 
against  a  layman  too.  If  it  was  a  regular  ministry,  and  it  was  our 
regular  minister,  I  would  accept  the  invitation."  If  that  is  your 
difficulty,  I  can  help  you  out  of  it.  You  can  just  get  right  up, 
and  go  out  of  the  hall,  and  walk  straight  over  to  your  minister,  and 
have  a  talk  with  him.  And  if  you  say  you  do  not  want  to  be  con- 
verted in  a  special  meeting,  there  are  regular  meetings  in  all  the 
churches  throughout  the  town,  and  your  minister  would  be  heartily 


EXCUSES.  97 

glad  to  talk  with  you  about  your  soul.  But  if  you  say,  "There 
is  a  great  awakening  here  in  this  city,  and  I  do  not  like  to  be  con- 
verted in  the  time  of  a  revival,"  you  can  step  into  a  train,  and  go 
to  some  town  where  there  is  no  revival.  We  can  find  you 
some  place  where  there  is  no  revival,  and  some  church  where 
there  is  not  much  of  the  revival  spirit,  without  very  much  difficulty. 
If  you  really  want  to  go,  pray  don't  give  that  for  an  excuse.  How 
wise  the  devil  is !  When  the  church  is  cold,  and  everything  is 
dead,  men  say,  "  Oh,  well,  if  there  was  only  some  life  in  the 
church  I  might  become  a  Christian  3  if  we  could  only  just  have  a 
wave  of  blessing  from  heaven,  it  would  be  so  easy  then."  Then 
when  the  wave  does  come  they  say,  "  Oh,  no,  we  are  afraid  of  ex- 
citement, and  afraid  of  these  special  meetings.  We  are  afraid 
something  will  be  done  that  won't  be  just  in  accordance  with 
our  ideas  of  propriety."  Oh,  my  friends,  do  not  listen  to  these 
subtle  lies.  Just  come  as  you  are  to  Christ,  and  accept  the  offer 
which  He  makes  you  now. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  go  on  with  these  excuses,  but  they  are  as 
numerous  as  the  hairs  of  my  head.  And  if  I  could  go  on,  and 
tried  to  exhaust  them  all,  the  devil  would  just  help  you  to  make 
more.  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  tie  them  all  into  one 
bundle,  and  stamp  them  as  a  pack  of  lies ;  not  a  single  one  of 
them  is  true.  And  God  will  sweep  them  all  away  some  day  if 
you  do  not  do  it  now.  It  is  a  very  solemn  thought  that  God  will 
excuse  you  if  you  want  to  be  excused.  He  does  not  wish  to  do  it, 
but  He  will  do  it.  "  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  the  wicked  ;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his 
way  and  live.  Turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways ;  for  why  will 
ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel."  Look  at  the  Jewish  nation.  They 
wanted  to  be  excused  from  the  feast.  They  despised  the  grace  of 
God  and  trampled  it  under  foot,  and  look  at  them  to-day !  Yes, 
it  is  easy  enough  to  say,  "  I  pray  Thee  have  me  excused,"  but  by- 
and-by  God  may  take  yoa  at  your  word,  and  say,  "  Yes,  I  will 
excuse  you."  And  in  that  lost  world,  while  others  who  have 
accepted  the  invitation  sit  down  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb,  amid  shouts  and  hallelujahs  in  heaven,  you  will  be  crying 
m  the  company  of  the  lost,  "The  harvest  is  past;  the  summer  is 
euded,  and  we  are  not  saved." 

7 


9$  EXCUSES. 

And  remember,  it  is  the  King  of  kings,  the  Lord  of 
glory,  who  invites  you  to  this  feast.  Come  just  as  you  are,  and 
accept  the  invitation.  Let  the  plough  stand  in  the  furrow  until 
you  have  accepted  it.  Let  the  shop  be  closed  till  then ;  let  busi- 
ness be  suspended  until  you  have  accepted  it.  Let  the  land  rest ; 
yes,  let  the  ox  stand  in  the  stall,  until  you  have  accepted  that  invi- 
tation. Make  sure,  whatever  you  do,  that  you  will  not  be  missing 
from  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  That  sainted  mother  of 
yours  will  be  there.  That  little  child  who  died  a  few  months  ago 
will  be  there.  Young  lady  !  do  you  want  to  be  excused  ?  He  win 
excuse  you.  Do  you  want  to  be  excused,  young  man  ?  He  will 
excuse  you.  You  may  make  light  of  it  to-night,  if  you  choose.  "  Oh 
no,'*  you  say,  "  I  never  do  that ;  whatever  I  have  been  guilty  of, 
I  have  never  done  that !  "  Have  you  not  ?  Suppose  I  get  an  in- 
vitation to  dinner  to-morrow ;  I  take  it  and  tear  it  up  ;  I  do  not 
answer  it ;  I  pay  no  attention  to  it.  Is.not  that  making  light  of  it  ? 
How  many  of  you  will  go  away  to-night  paying  no  attention  to 
this  invitation  ?  Every  one  who  goes  home  in  a  careless  spirit, 
won't  he  be  making  light  of  it  ?  The  Lord  has  invited  you  to  the 
gospel  feast.  Are  you  going  to  spend  this  evening  in  accepting 
or  in  making  light  of  the  invitation  ?  God  does  not  want  you 
to  die  5  He  wants  you  to  accept  this  invitation  and  'live.  If 
you  have  a  good  excuse,  one  that  will  stand  the  light  of  eternity, 
hold  on  to  it.  Do  not  give  it  up  for  anything.  Take  it  down 
with  you  into  the  grave.  Hold  it  firm,  take  it  to  the  bar 
of  God,  and  tell  it  out  to  Him.  But  if  you  have  got  one  that 
won't  stand  the  test  of  eternity,  give  it  up.  If  you  have  an  excuse 
that  will  not  stand  the  piercing  eye  of  God,  I  beg  of  you  as  a 
friend,  give  it  up  to-night.  Let  it  go  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven, 
and  accept  the  invitation  to  beat  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 
Do  not  let  the  laughing,  scoffing,  mocking  world  laugh  your  soul 
into  eternal  death.  Do  as  the  pilgrim,  whom  John  Bunyan 
describes,  who  started  out  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  crying, 
"  Life,  life,  eternal  life  !  "  Set  your  face  like  a  flint  towards  that 
blessed  land  and  say,  "By  the  grace  of  God,  I  will  be  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.' 

Supposing  we  should  write  out  here  to-night  this  excuse.  How 
would  it  sound  ?     u  To  the  King  of  Heaven.     While  sitting  in  the 


EXCUSES.  99 

— — -    Hall,   City  of ,  July  — ,  1885,  /  received  a  very 

pressing  invitation  from  one  oj  your  servants  to  be  present  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  your  only -begotten  Son.  I  pray  Thee  have 
me  excused."  Would  you  sign  that,  young  man  ?  Would  you, 
mother  ?  Would  you  come  up  to  the  reporters'  table,  take  up  a 
pen  and  put  your  name  down  to  such  an  excuse  ?  You  would  say, 
*  Let  my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning,  and  my  tongue  cleave  to 
the  roof  of  my  mouth  if  I  sign  that."  I  doubt  if  there  is  one  here 
who  would  sign  it.  Will  you  then  pay  no  attention  to  God's 
invitation  ?  I  beg  of  you  do  not  make  light  of  it.  It  is  a  loving 
God  inviting  you  to  a  feast,  and  God  is  not  to  be  mocked.  Go 
play  with  the  forked  lightning,  go  trifle  with  pestilence  and  disease, 
but  trine  not  with  God. 

Just  let  me  write  out  another  answer.    "  To  the  King  of  Heaven. 

While  sitting  in  the Hall,    July   — ,   1885,    ^  received  a 

pressing  invitation  from  one  of  your  messengers  to  be  present  at  the 
marriage  supper  of  your  only -begotten  Son.  1  hasten  to  reply. 
By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  be  present."  Who  will  sign 
that  ?  Is  there  one  who  will  put  his  name  to  it  ?  Is  there  no  one 
who  will  say,  "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  accept  the  invitation 
now"?  May  God  bring  you  to  a  decision  just  now.  If  you 
would  ever  see  the  kingdom  of  God,  you  must  decide  this  ques- 
tion one  way  or  the  other.  What  will  you  do  with  the  invitation  ? 
I  bring  it  to  you  in  the  name  of  my  Master  3  will  you  accept  or 
reject  it  ?  Be  wise  to-night,  and  accept  of  the  invitation.  Make 
up  your  mind  you  will  not  go  away  till  the  question  of  eternity 
is  settled.  May  God  bring  hundreds  to  a  decision  to-night  is  the 
prayer  of  my  heart. 


THE  BLOOD. 

Part  I. — The  Old  Testament 


"It  is  the  Blood  that  maketh  an  atonement  for 
the  Soul/' — Lev.  xvii.    ii. 

Every  man  should  be  able  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that  is 
in  him  j  and  I  do  not  believe  the  man  lives  who  can  give  a  reason 
for  his  hope  beyond  the  grave,  who  is  a  stranger  to  the  Blood. 
I  am  often  told  that  I  make  the  plan  of  salvation  too  easy,  and 
that  it  is  folly  to  say  that  men  can  be  saved  by  trusting  simply 
to  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  Now  I  do  not  wish  any  one  to 
believe  what  I  say,  if  it  is  not  according  to  Scripture ;  and  the 
best  way  is  just  to  turn  up  the  Bible  and  see  what  the  Word  of 
God  says  about  it. 

The  first  portion  of  Scripture  I  would  call  your  attention  to 
is  from  the  very  first  book  of  the  Bible.  If  you  turn  to  Genesis 
iii.  21,  you  find,  "  Unto  Adam  also  and  to  his  wife  did  the  Lord 
God  make  coats  of  skins,  and  clothed  them."  In  this  verse  we 
get  the  first  glimpse  of  the  blood.  Certainly  God  could  not  have 
clothed  Adam  and  Eve  with  the  skins  of  beasts  unless  He  had 
shed  blood.  And  to  me  it  is  a  very  sweet  thought  that  sin  was 
covered  before  Adam  was  driven  out  of  Eden — that  God  dealt  in 
grace  with  him  before  He  dealt  in  judgment.  It  may  be  that  this 
was  a  type,  away  back  in  Eden,  of  Christ  the  coming  One,  of  the 
Sacrifice  to  be  slain  j  and  Adam  might  have  said  to  his  wife, 
"  Well,  even  though  God  has  driven  us  out  of  Eden  He  loves  us, 
and  this  coat  is  a  token  of  his  love."  Some  one  has  said  God  put 
a  lamp  of  promise  into  his  hand  before  He  drove  him  out.  "  The 
seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent."  Did  you 
ever  think  what  a  terrible  state  of  things  it  would  be  if  man  in  his 
lost  and  ruined  state  were  allowed  to  live  for  ever  ?     It  was  from 


THE  BLOOD.  101 

love  to  Adam  that  God  drove  him  out  of  Eden,  that  he  should  not 
live  for  ever.  God  put  the  cherubim  there  with  the  flaming 
sword.  But  now  Christ  has  come  and  taken  the  sword  into  his 
own  bosom,  and  opened  wide  the  gates,  so  that  man  can  come  in 
and  eat.  Adam  might  have  been  in  Eden  ten  thousand  years  and 
then  be  led  astray  by  Satan  j  but  now  "  our  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God."  Yes,  man  is  safer  with  the  second  Adam  out  of  Eden 
than  with  the  first  Adam  in  Eden. 

Then  let  us  turn  to  Gen.  iv.  4  :  "  And  Abel,  he  also  brought 
of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock,  and  of  the  fat  thereof.  And  the  Lord 
had  respect  unto  Abel  and  to  his  offering  5  but  unto  Cain  and  to 
his  offering  he  had  not  respect.  And  Cain  was  very  wroth  and  his 
countenance  fell."  Now  here  were  two  boys  who  were  born  and 
brought  up  outside  of  Eden.  They  were  children  of  the  same 
parents,  and  brought  up  under  precisely  similar  circumstances 
and  under  the  same  influences,  and  there  is  no  account  of  any 
difference  between  these  two  boys  until  they  go  to  offer  sacri- 
fice. Abel  brings  the  blood,  and  is  accepted  j  Cain  comes  in  his 
own  way,  and  is  rejected.  Undoubtedly,  when  our  first  parents 
fell,  God  marked  out  the  way  by  which  man  might  come  to 
Him  ;  Abel  walked  in  God's  way,  but  Cain  in  his  own.  You 
may  have  wondered  why  Cain's  offering  was  not  just  as  accept- 
able to  Him  as  Abel's ;  but  one  took  God's  way  and  the  other 
took  his  own  Perhaps  Cain  said  he  could  not  bear  the  sight 
of  blood,  and  took  that  which  God  had  cursed,  and  laid  it  on  the 
altar.  Perhaps  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  shall  certainly  not  bring  a 
bleeding  lamb.  I  don't  like  that  doctrine  at  all.  Here  is  the 
grain  and  the  beautiful  fruit  which  I  have  raised  by  my  industry, 
and  I'm  sure  it  looks  better  than  blood."  And  there  are  a  great 
manv  Cainites  in  the  church  to-day.  They  are  trying  to  get  into 
heaven  their  own  way.  They  bring  their  own  good  deeds  to  God. 
They  prefer  what  is  agreeable  to  the  eye,  as  Cain  did  his  beautiful 
corn  and  fruit ;  but  they  do  not  like  the  doctrine  of  the  Blood  of 
the  Atonement.  From  the  time  Adam  left  Eden  there  have  been 
Abelites  and  Cainites.  The  Abelites  come  by  way  of  the  blood — 
the  Cainites  come  in  a  way  of  their  own.  They  wish  to  get  rid 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  blood.  But  be  assured  that  any  religion 
which  makes  light  of  the  blood  is  of  the  devil.     No  matter  how 


102  THE  BLOOD 

eloquent  a  man  is,  if  he  preaches  against  tne  blood  he  is  doing  the 
devil's  work.  Do  not  listen  to  him.  Do  not  believe  him.  If  an 
angel  from  heaven  should  preach  any  other  gospel  I  would  not 
believe  it.  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins," — that  is  the  gospel  that 
Paul  preached,  and  Peter  preached,  and  that  God  has  always 
honoured  in  the  salvation  of  men's  souls. 

The  next  glimpse  we  get  of  the  blood  is  in  Gen.  viii.  2o« 
"  And  Noah  builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord ;  and  took .  of  every 
clean  beast,  and  of  every  clean  fowl,  and  offered  burnt-offerings  on 
the  altar."  We  have  passed  out  of  the  first  dispensation  and  now 
have  come  to  the  second  ;  and  the  very  first  thing  Noah  does,  is  to 
put  blood  between  him  and  his  sins.  The  second  dispensation  is 
founded  upon  blood.  Thus  Noah  walked  by  the  highway  of  the 
blood  j  for  this  the  animals  were  taken  through  the  flood ;  and  all 
God's  people  have  been  walking  that  way  since,  for  it  is  the  blood 
that  atones  for  sin. 

Would  you  turn  to  Gen.  xxii.  13.  "And  Abraham  lifted  up 
his  eyes  and  looked,  and  behold,  behind  him  a  ram  caught  in  a 
thicket  by  his  horns.  And  Abraham,  went  and  took  the  ram  and 
offered  him  up  for  a  burnt-offering  in  the  stead  of  his  son."  God 
loved  Abraham  so  much  that  He  spared  his  son,  but  He  so  loved 
the  world  that  He  did  not  spare  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him 
up  for  us  all.  Now  we  are  told  that  Abraham  saw  Christ's  day 
and  was  glad.  I  do  not  know  when  he  saw  it,  but  I  have  an  idea 
that  it  was  from  this  very  place  that  God  drew  back  the  curtain  of 
time  and  showed  him  Christ  as  the  Bearer  of  sin.  Just  .look  at 
that  scene.  There  is  the  altar,  built  at  the  command  of  Jehoval  . 
God  had  told  him  to  take  his  son,  his  only  son  whom  he  loved, 
and  bind  and  slay  him.  He  has  bound  the  boy  5  everything  is 
ready,  and  now  he  takes  the  knife  to  slay  his  son.  He  does  not 
know  what  it  means,  but  God  said  it  and  he  obeys.  I  wish  we 
had  men  like  Abraham,  now-a-days,  willing  to  obey  God  in  the 
dark,  not  asking  the  reason  why.  I  can  see  him  put  his  arms 
round  his  boy  as  he  takes  him  to  his  bosom  and  weeps  over  him. 
I  can  hear  him  telling  him  the  secret  he  had  hidden  from  him  so 
long.  What  a  scene !  What  a  struggle  it  must  have  been ! 
Now  he  is  ready  to  plunge  the  knife  into  the  heart  of  his  son.  But 
hark  !  there  comes  a  voice  from  heaven,  "  Abraham  !  Abraham ! 


THE  BLOOD.  103 

spare  thy  son."  Ah  !  there  was  no  voice  at  Calvary,  no  cry  from 
heaven  then,  "  Spare  thy  Son."  He  gave  Him  up  freely  for  us  all, 
the  Innocent  for  the  guilty,  the  Just  for  the  unjust. 

Turn  now  to  Exodus  xii. — one  of  the  most  important  chapters 
in  the  Old  Testament.  At  the  thirteenth  verse  we  read,  "  And  the 
blood  shall  be  to  you  for  a  token  upon  the  houses  where  ye  are ; 
and  when  I  see  the  blood  I  will  pass  over  you,  and  the  plague  shall 
not  be  upon  you  to  destroy  you."  God  did  not  say,  "•  When  I  see 
your  good  deeds — how  you  have  prayed,  and  wept,  and  groaned, 
I  will  pass  over  you,"  but  ''''when  I  see  the  blood."  It  was  not 
their  good  resolutions,  their  tears,  their  prayers,  their  works,  their 
faith,  that  saved  those  men  in  Egypt ;  it  was  the  blood.  What 
were  they  to  do  to  be  saved  ?  They  were  to  put  the  blood  on  the 
door-posts  and  lintel.  They  were  not  to  put  it  on  the  threshold. 
God  would  not  have  them  trample  upon  the  blood.  But  that  is 
what  the  world  is  doing  to-day.  Men  say  it  is  not  the  death  of 
Christ  j  it  is  his  life.  But  God  did  not  say,  "  Take  a  white,  spot- 
less lamb,  and  put  it  there  at  the  front  of  the  door,  and  when  I 
see  the  lamb  I  will  pass  over  you."  Had  an  Israelite  done  that, 
the  angel  of  death  would  have  passed  by  the  lamb  j  would  have 
entered  that  house  j  would  have  laid  his  cold  hand  on  the  eldest 
born.  A  live  lamb  could  not  have  kept  death  out  that  night  j  he 
would  have  fallen  a  victim  like  the  Egyptian.  Very  likely,  when 
some  of  the  lords  and  dukes  and  great  men  rode  through  Goshen, 
and  saw  the  Israelites  sprinkling  their  dwellings,  they  said  they 
never  saw  such  foolishness.  Very  likely  they  thought  they  were 
just  spoiling  their  houses.  Every  house  had  blood  on  it.  No 
Egyptian  could  understand  it.  But  on  that  memorable  night  when 
Death  entered  every  house  from  the  palace  of  the  king  to  the  hovel 
of  the  poor,  when  the  wail  of  sorrow  went  up  from  that  stricken 
land,  it  was  the  blood  that  kept  him  from  the  homes  of  Goshen. 
Yes,  it  is  the  blood  that  must  cover  our  sins.  I  beg  of  you,  do 
not  let  the  world  move  you  on  this  point.  Let  it  go  on  mocking, 
and  laughing,  and  making  light  of  the  precious  blood  of  the  Son 
of  God.  It  is  our  only  refuge,  our  only  hope.  We  cannot 
cover  sin  by  any  good  deeds  of  our  own.  It  is  a  very  common 
saying,  "  If  1  were  only  as  good  as  that  man  who  has  preached  the 
gospel  for  fifty  years,  or  that  mother  in  Israel  who  has  visited  the 


104  THE  BLOOD. 

sick  and  been  so  kind  to  the  poor,  I  would  feel  safe  for  heaven." 
But  I  want  to  say  that  if  you  are  sheltered  behind  the  blood  of  the 
Son  of  God,  you  are  as  safe  as  any  saint  that  ever  walked  this  earth. 
It  is  not  a  long  life  of  good  deeds  that  is  going  to  save  us.  It  is  not 
our  Christian  usefulness  that  will  ever  commend  us  to  God.  Cer- 
tainly we  must  work  for  Christ  5  certainly  it  will  be  better  for  you 
in  the  future  if  you  do.  But  that  is  not  salvation.  Certainly  you 
must  follow  Christ  5  certainly  you  must  imitate  his  pure  and  holy 
life.  I  would  go  further,  and  say  it  is  an  absolute  necessity  you 
should  do  so  -,  but  the  life  of  Christ  may  be  preached  for  ever, 
and  if  his  death  be  left  out,  it  will  never  save  a  soul.  People  say 
you  must  work,  work,  work,  in  order  to  get  salvation.  Ten  thou- 
sand times  no  !  You  get  it  as  a  gift  5  "Whosoever  will,  let  him 
take."  You  can  work  as  much  as  you  like  after  you  have  taken 
it.  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation."  Yes,  but  that  was  spoken 
to  Christians,  people  who  had  taken  it.  So  we  must  first  take  it, 
and  then  we  can  work  it  out.  We  take  salvation  as  a  gift  and 
then  begin  to  work  because  we  cannot  help  it.  All  work  done 
before  that  must  go  for  nothing.  When  the  angel  of  death  swept 
through  the  land  that  night,  the  good  and  the  bad  were  destroyed 
together.  Into  every  house  where  the  blood  was  not  sprinkled, 
the  destroying  angel  came.  But  wherever  the  blood  was  on  door- 
post and  lintel,  whether  they  had  worked  much,  or  whether  they 
had  worked  none,  God  passed  them  over. 

The  little  child  in  the  humblest  tent  was  just  as  safe  as  Moses 
or  Aaron,  as  Joshua  or  Caleb,  as  safe  as  any  in  the  land.  God  did 
not  say,  "  When  I  see  your  gilded  palace,  or  your  beautiful  home ; 
when  I  see  your  goodness,  your  life  of  service,  or  your  faith,"  but, 
"when  I  see  the  blood,  it  shall  be  a  token."  Not  for  their  own  sakes, 
but  for  Christ's,  did  He  pass  them  by  that  night.  Some  one  has 
said,  that  the  little  fly  in  Noah's  ark  was  just  as  safe  as  the  great 
elephant.  It  was  the  ark  that  saved  them  both.  So  Christ  saves 
the  weak  disciple  just  as  well  as  the  strong  one. 

When  you  go  to  a  railway  station  you  find  all  classes  of  people 
wishing  to  travel.  They  have  their  tickets  and  take  their  places  in 
the  carriages.  When  the  conductor  comes  to  ask  for  the  tickets,  he 
does  not  look  to  see  what  or  who  you  are.  You  may  be  rich  or 
poor,  learned  or  unlearned,  this  or  that  j  he  looks  for  the  tickets, 


THE  BLOOD,  105 

and  if  you  have  your  ticket  you  pass.  The  ticket  is  the  token.  So 
if  you  are  sheltered  behind  the  blood  of  Christ,  you  may  be  very 
ignorant  or  poor  in  this  world,  but  you  are  as  safe  as  the  wisest  or 
wealthiest. 

A  great  many  people  are  wondering  why  they  are  so  weak  j 
why  they  fall  so  often  when  temptation  comes,  why  so  little 
spiritual  power  is  given  them.  I  think  you  will  rind  a  lesson 
in  that  same  chapter,  in  the  nth  verse:  "Thus  shall  ye  eat  it; 
with  your  loins  girded,  your  shoes  on  your  feet,  and  your  staff  in 
your  hand  ;  and  ye  shall  eat  it  in  haste :  it  is  the  Lord's  Passover." 
They  were  not  only  to  kill  the  lamb  and  take  the  blood  and 
sprinkle  it  on  the  door-posts,  but  they  were  to  eat  of  it.  That  is 
the  way  to  get  spiritual  strength.  The  reason  why  we  are  such 
sickly  Christians,  is  because  we  do  not  feed  on  the  Lamb.  We 
have  a  wilderness  journey  before  us  as  the  children  of  Israel  had, 
and  if  we  do  not  feed  upon  Christ  we  must  starve  by  the  way. 
We  have  not  only  to  look  to  the  blood  for  safety,  but  we  must  feed 
on  Christ  for  strength.  How  much  the  soul  needs  to  be  fed ! 
Day  by  day  our  souls  must  be  fed  with  the  heavenly  manna.  The 
Lord  has  given  Him  up  for  us  ;  He  calls  Himself  the  Bread  of  Life. 
Feeding  upon  Christ  is  feeding  on  his  Word.  There  is  no  book 
that  will  feed  the  soul  but  the  Bible.  If  I  feed  on  the  Word  of 
God,  I  get  spiritual  strength  and  power.  Some  people  think  if 
they  get  one  glimpse  at  Christ  it  is  enough.  We  must  live  by 
faith  as  well  as  be  saved  by  faith.  The  just  shall  live  by  faith. 
Each  day  we  must  gather  the  manna  afresh.  A  good  many  people 
seem  to  be  living  on  stale  manna — manna  that  they  got  months  or 
years  ago  when  they  were  converted.  We  should  no  more  think 
of  laying  in  spiritual  food  to  last  for  ten  years  than  we  should  of 
bodily  food. 

In  verse  2  we  read,  "This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the 
beginning  of  months.  It  shall  be  the  first  month  of  the  year  to 
you."  For  400  years  they  had  been  serving  the  king  of  the 
Egyptians,  but  God  would  not  let  them  count  those  years. 
They  must  make  a  fresh  start,  as  it  were.  So  all  the  years  that 
we  spend  in  the  service  of  the  devil'  go  for  nought.  Life  never 
really  begins  until  we  have  been  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of 
Christ.     Everything  dates  from   the   blood,  and   even   the  Jew 


io6  THE  BLUOD. 

has  to  own  that  the  death  upon  the  cross  was  the  beginning  of 
days. 

Turn  now  to  Exodus  xxix.  16  :  "  And  thou  shalt  slay  the  ram, 
and  thou  shalt  take  his  blood  and  sprinkle  it  round  about  upon  the 
altar."  I  used  to  read  these  words  and  these  books  of  the  Old 
Testament,  wondering  what  they  meant.  They  were  to  take  the 
blood  and  sprinkle  it  u  round  about  upon  the  altar."  Now  I  think ' 
I  understand  it.  It  teaches  that  there  is  no  way  of  approaching 
God  without  coming  by  the  blood.  It  has  been  so  in  all  ages. 
Even  Aaron,  the  high  priest,  had  to  take  blood  and  sprinkle  it 
round  about  upon  the  altar,  before  he  could  have  an  interview 
with  God — teaching  us  the  great  lesson  that  approach  to  God 
never  has  been,  never  will  be,  never  can  be,  except  through  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb. 

We  have  the  same  thing  brought  before  us  again  in  the 
thirtieth  verse  of  the  tenth  chapter.  "  And  Aaron  shall  make  an 
atonement  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar,  once  in  a  year,  with  the 
blood  of  the  sin-offering  of  atonements  ;  once  in  the  year  shall  he 
make  atonement  upon  it  throughout  your  generations':  it  is  most 
holy  unto  the  Lord."  Atonement  means  at-one-ment ;  the  blood 
of  Christ  makes  the  sinner  and  God  at  one.  Before  Adam  fell 
God  had  bound  him  to  the  throne  with  a  golden  chain,  which 
was  broken  by  the  fall.  But  Christ  came  down  and  linked  man 
back  to  God  again.  At-one-ment — that  is  what  the  blood  of 
Christ  does,  makes  atonement.  We  talk  about  sins  being  for- 
given -j  they  are  forgiven,  but  no  sin  ever  committed  in  this 
world  was  forgiven  without  being  punished.  They  were  punished 
in  Christ ;  He  made  expiation — "  Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins 
in  his  own  body  on  the  tree."  Think  what  it  cost  Christ  to  make 
expiation.  Think  what  it  cost  God  when  He  had  to  give  up 
his  only-begotten  Son,  to  give  Him  up  to  die  ! 

Turn  for  a  moment  to  Leviticus  viii.  23  :  "  And  he  slew  it, 
and  Moses  took  of  the  blood  of  it  and  put  it  upon  the  tip  of 
Aaron's  right  ear,  and  upon  the  thumb  of  his  right  hand,  and  upon 
the  great  toe  of  his  right  foot."  That  is  another  verse  I  used  to 
stumble  over.  What  did  it  mean  ?  blood  on  the  ear,  blood  on  the 
hand,  blood  on  the  foot  ?  I  think  I  understand  it  now.  Blood 
en   the  ear — without  it  man  cannot  hear  the  voice  of  God.     No 


THE  BLOOD.  107 

uncircumcised  car  can  hear  his  voice.  Men  heard  the  voice  of 
God  and  they  said  it  thundered  ;  they  did  not  know  the  difference. 
But  when  the  blood  is  applied,  men  know  the  voice  of  God  — 
we  know  that  it  is  the  voice  of  our  loving  Father  in  heaven. 

Blood  on  the  hand — that  a  man  may  work  for  God.  Those  men 
that  think  they  are  working  for  God,  and  yet  ignore  the  blood, 
are  deceiving  their  own  souls.  One  day  they  will  wake  up  to  find 
that  their  labour  is  in  vain.  Salvation  is  "  to  him  that  worketh  not 
but  believeth."  No  man  can  work  his  way  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.  They  said  to  Christ,  "  What  shall  we  do  that  we  may  work 
the  works  of  God  ? "  Perhaps  these  men  had  got  their  pockets 
full  of  money,  and  were  ready  and  willing  to  build  churches. 
"  This  is  the  work  of  God,'*  said  Christ,  "  that  ye  believe  on  Him 
whom  He  hath  sent."  No  man  or  woman  can  do  anything  to 
olease  God  until  they  have  believed  on  his  Son. 

Suppose  I  say  to  my  boy,  "  Willie,  I  want  you  to  go  out  and 
get  me  a  glass  of  water."  He  says  he  doesn't  want  to  go.  "  I 
didn't  ask  you  whether  you  wanted  to  go  or  not,  Willie  ;  I  told 
you  to  go."  "  But  I  don't  want  to  go,"  he  says.  "  I  tell  you, 
you  must  go  and  get  me  a  glass  of  water."  He  does  not  like  to 
go.  But  he  knows  I  am  very  fond  of  grapes,  and  he  is  very  fond 
of  them  himself,  so  he  goes  out,  and  some  one  gives  him  a  beau- 
tiful cluster  of  grapes.  He  comes  in  and  says,  "  Here,  papa,  here 
is  a  beautiful  cluster  of  grapes  for  you."  "  But  what  about  the 
water?  "  "Won't  the  grapes  be  acceptable,  papa?  "  "  No,  my 
boy,  the  grapes  are  not  acceptable ;  I  won't  take  them;  I  want 
you  to  get  me  a  glass  of  water."  The  little  fellow  doesn't  want 
to  get  the  water,  but  he  goes  out,  and  this  time  some  one  gives 
him  an  orange.  He  brings  it  in  and  places  it  before  me.  "  Is 
that  acceptable?"  he  asks.  "No,  no,  no!"  I  say;  "I  want 
nothing  but  water ;  you  cannot  do  anything  to  please  me  until 
you  get  the  water."  And  so,  my  friends,  to  please  God  you  must 
first  obey  Him ;  and  th^  first  thing  He  asks  us  to  do  is  to  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  Him."  He  has  given  us  an  unspeakable  Gift — the  Son  of 
his  bosom— and  if  we  reject  that  Son,  and  refuse  to  follow  Him, 
do  you  think  anything  else  we  can  do  can  please  Him  ? 

Blood  upon  the  foot — to  walk  with  God.     God  never  walked 


108  THE  BLOOD. 

with  the  Israelites  until  the  blood  was  sprinkled  in  Goshen. 
Then  nothing  could  stand  before  them.  When  they  came  to  the 
Red  Sea,  it  fled  at  their  approach.  In  the  wilderness  He'  opened 
his  hand  and  gave  them  manna  to  eat.  When  they  came  to  Jordan 
they  walked  dryshod  through  the  bed  of  the  river,  because  the 
Almighty  God  was  walking  beside  them.  Yes,  it  was  a  blood- 
bought  people  that  God  brought  into  Canaan,  the  promised  land. 
And  God  will  walk  with  every  blood-washed  sinner,  and  no  man 
shall  stand  before  Him. 

I  can  imagine  some  of  you  saying,  "  I  do  not  understand  yet 
why  God  demands  blood."  A  person  said  to  me,  "  I  hate  your 
God  ;  your  God  demands  blood.  I  don't  believe  in  such  a  God — 
my  God  is  merciful  to  all  j  I  do  not  know  your  God."  But  if  you 
will  turn  to  Lev.  xvii.  11,  you  will  find  why  God  demands  blood. 
"  For  the  life  of  the  flesh  is  in  the  blood ;  and  I  have  given  it  to 
you  upon  the  altar  to  make  an  atonement  for  your  souls ;  for  it  is 
the  blood  that  maketh  an  atonement  for  the  soul." 

Now,  suppose  Queen  Victoria  did  not  like  any  man  to  be 
deprived  of  his  liberty,  and  threw  all  her  prisons  open,  and 
was  so  merciful  that  she  could  not  bear  any  one  to  suffer  for 
guilt,  how  long  would  she  hold  the  sceptre  ?  How  long  would  she 
rule  her  empire  ?  Not  twenty-four  hours.  Those  very,  men  who 
cry  out  about  God  being  merciful  would  say,  "  We  don't  want 
such  a  Queen."  Well,  God  is  merciful,  but  He  is  not  going  to 
take  an  unpardoned  sinner  into  heaven. 

God  demands  blood,  because  He  said  to  Adam,  "  In  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  Then  sin  came  into  the 
-  world,  and  brought  death  in.  God's  word  must  be  kept.  How 
could  God  do  this  and  spare  the  sinner?  How  could  God  be  just, 
and  justify  the  ungodly  ?  Man  has  sinned,  and  man  must  die.  But 
what  if  some  one  should  die  instead  of  him  ?  His  own  life  has 
been  forfeited — the  wages  of  sin  is  death — but  what  if  some  one 
should  buy  it  hack  for  him,  should  redeem  him  ?  What  if  one 
should  come  forward  and  lay  down  his  own  life  a  ransom  for 
many — one  who  had  no  sins  of  his  own  to  condemn  him  to  death  ? 
Glory  to  God  in  the  highest !  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He 
gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not   perish,   but   have   everlasting   life."      Glory  to   God   in  the 


THE  BLOOD. 


highest !  He  sent  his  Son,  born  of  a  woman,  to  take  our  nature 
and  die  in  our  stead,  tasting  death  for  every  man.  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest !  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin."  If  you  read  your  Bibles  carefully,  you  will  see 
the  scarlet  thread  running  right  through  every  page  of  them. 
The  blood  commences  to  flow  in  Genesis,  and  runs  on  To  Reve* 
lation.  That  is  what  God's  book  is  written  for.  Take  out  the 
scarlet  thread,  and  it  would  not  be  worth  carrying  home. 

Three  times  in  this  chapter  it  is  repeated,  that  the  life  of  the 
flesh  is  in  the  blood.  And  when  God  demands  blood,  in  other 
words,  He  demands  life.  It  has  been  forfeited.  We  have  sinned, 
and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  I  must  die  for  my  sins,  or 
find  some  substitute  to  die  in  my  stead.  I  cannot  get  this  man  or 
that  man  to  die  for  me,  because  they  have  sinned  themselves,  and 
have  to  die  for  their  own  sins.  But  Christ  was  without  sin,  and 
therefore  He  could  be  my  substitute.  Here  comes  in  the  glorious 
doctrine  of  substitution.  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  for  mine ;  and 
because  He  died  for  me,  I  love  Him.  Because  He  died  for  me  I 
will  serve  Him.  I  will  work  for  Him  j  I  will  give  Him  my  very 
life.  He  robbed  death  of  its  sting,  and  the  grave  of  its  victory. 
Oh  !  is  it  not  the  least  we  can  do  to  give  our  poor  lives  to  Him  ? 

When  the  Californian  gold  fever  broke  out,  a  man  went  there, 
leaving  his  wife  in  New  England  with  his  boy.  As  soon  as  he 
got  on  and  was  successful  he  was  to  send  for  them.  It  was  a 
long  time  before  he  succeeded,  but  at  last  he  got  money  enough  to 
send  for  them.  The  wife's  heart  leaped  for  joy.  She  took  her 
boy  to  New  York,  got  on  board  a  Pacific  steamer,  and  sailed  away 
to  San  Francisco.  They  had  not  been  long  at  sea  before  the  cry 
of  "  Fire  !  fire !  "  rang  through  the  ship,  and  rapidly  it  gained  on 
them.  There  was  a  powder  magazine  on  board,  and  the  captain 
knew  the  moment  the  fire  reached  the  powder,  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  must  perish.  They  got  out  the  life-boats,  but  they  were 
too  small  !  In  a  minute  they  were  overcrowded.  The  last  one  was 
just  pushing  away,  when  the  mother  pled  with  them  to  take  her 
and  her  boy.  u  No,"  they  said,  "  we  have  got  as  many  as  we  can 
hold."  She  entreated  them  so  earnestly,  that  at  last  they  said 
they  would  take  one  more.  Do  you  think  she  leaped  into  that  boat 
and  left  her  boy  to  die  ?     No  !     She  seized  her  boy,  gave  him  one, 


no  THE  BLOOD. 

last  hug,  kissed  him,  and  dropped  him  over  into  the  boat.  "  My 
boy,"  she  said,  "  if  you  live  to  see  your  father,  tell  him  that  I  died  in 
your  place."  That  is  a  faint  type  of  what  Christ,  has  done  for  us. 
He  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  He  died  that  we  might  live.  Now 
will  you  not  love  Him  ?  What  would  you  say  of  that  young  man 
if  he  should  speak  contemptuously  of  such  a  mother  ?  She  went 
down  to  a  watery  grave  to  save  her  son.  Well,  shall  we  speak 
contemptuously  of  such  a  Saviour  ?  Oh,  may  God  make  us  loyal 
to  Christ !  My  friends,  you  will  need  Him  one  day.  You  will 
need  Him  when  you  come  to  cross  the  swellings  of  Jordan.  You 
will  need  Hi.m  when  you  stand  at  the  bar  of  God.  May  God 
forbid  that  when  death  draws  nigh  it  should  find  you  making  light 
of  the  precious  blood  of  Christ ! 


THE  BLOOD. 

Part  II. — The  New  Testament. 


"Without  shedding  of  blood  is  no  remission.*' — Heb.  ix.  22. 

We  have  seen  what  the  Old  Testament  says  about  the  blood  3  now 
let  us  turn  to  the  New. 

In  1  Pet.  i.  18,  we  read  :  "  Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were 
not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your 
vain  conversation,  received  by  tradition  from  your  fathers,  but  with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and 
without  spot."  Silver  and  gold  could  not  redeem  our  souls.  As 
I  have  tried  to  show,  life  had  been  forfeited.  Death  had  come 
into  the  world  by  sin,  and  nothing  but  blood  could  atone  for  the 
soul.  Therefore,  says  Peter,  "you  are  not  redeemed  with  silver 
and  gold."  If  gold  and  silver  could  have  redeemed  us,  do  you 
not  think  that  God  would  have  created  millions  of  worlds  full  of 
gold?  It  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  for  Him.  But  we  are 
not  redeemed  by  such  corruptible  things,  but  by  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ.  Redemption  means  "  buying  back ;"  we  had  sold 
ourselves  for  nought,  and  Christ  redeemed  us  and  bought  us  back. 

A  friend  in  Ireland  once  met  a  little  Irish  boy  who  had  caught 
a  sparrow.  The  poor  little  bird  was  trembling  in  his  hand,  and 
seemed  very  anxious  to  escape.  The  gentleman  begged  the  boy 
to  let  it  go,  as  the  bird  could  not  do  him  any  good  j  but  the  boy 
said  he  would  not,  for  he  had  chased  it  three  hours  before  he  could 
catch  it.  He  tried  to  reason  it  out  with  the  boy,  but  in  vain.  At 
last  he  offered  to  buy  the  bird  5  the  boy  agreed  to  the  price,  and  it 
was  paid.  Then  the  gentleman  took  the  poor  little  thing  and  held 
it  out  on  his  hand.     The  boy  had  been  holding  it  very  fast,  for 


112  THE  BLOOD. 

the  boy  was  stronger  than  the  bird,  just  as  Satan  is  stronger  than 
we,  and  there  it  sat  for  a  time  scarcely  able  to  realize  the  fact  that 
it  had  got  liberty  $  but,  in  a  little,  it  flew  away  chirping,  as  if  to  say 
to  the  gentleman,  "  Thank  you  !  thank  you  !  you  have  redeemed 
me."  That  is  what  redemption  is  —  buying  back  and  setting 
free.  So  Christ  came  to  break  the  fetters  of  sin,  to  open  the 
prison  doors  and  set  the  sinner  free.  This  is  the  good  news,  the 
Gospel  of  Christ — u  Ye  are  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things, 
as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ." 

"  How  can  I  be  saved  to-night,"  do  you  ask  ?  Accept  of  the 
Redeemer,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  rest  on  his  finished  work. 
When  Christ  on  Calvary  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  it  was  the  shout  of 
the  Conqueror.  He  had  come  to  redeem  the  world,  and  now  He 
had  done  it — done  it  without  money  !  And  his  cry  to  the  world 
comes  ringing  down  the  ages  to-day — "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth, 
come  ye  to  the  waters  5  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price." 

A  few  years  ago,  I  was  going  away  to  preach  one  Sunday 
morning,  when  a  young  man  drove  up  in  front  of  us.  He  had  an 
aged  woman  with  him.  "  Who  is  that  young  man  ?  "  I  asked. 
"  Do  you  see  that  beautiful  meadow  ?  "  said  my  friend,  "  and  that 
land  there  with  the  house  upon  it  ?  "  fl  Yes."  "  His  father  drank 
that  all  up,"  he  said.  Then  he  went  on  to  tell  me  all  about  him. 
His  father  was  a  great  drunkard,  squandered  his  property,  died, 
and  left  his  wife  in  the  poor-house.  "  And  that  young  man,"  he 
said,  "  is  one  of  the  finest  young  men  I  ever  knew.  He  has 
toiled  hard  and  earned  money,  and  bought  back  the  land ;  he  has 
taken  his  mother  out  of  the  poor-house,  and  now  he  is  taking  her 
to  church."  I  thought,  that  is  an  illustration  for  me.  The  first 
Adam,  in  Eden,  sold  us  for  nought,  but  the  Messiah,  the  Second 
Adam,  came  and  bought  us  back  again.  The  first  Adam  brought 
us  to  the  poor-house,  as  it  were  5  the  Second  Adam  makes  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God.  That  is  redemption.  We  get  in 
Christ  all  that  Adam  lost,  and  more.  Men  look  on  the  blood  of 
Christ  with  scorn  and  contempt,  but  the  time  is  coming  when  the 
blood  of  Christ  will  be  worth  more  than  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world.  Suppose  you  were  going  down  to  death's  gates  to-night, 
going  down  to  the  brink  of  the  Jordan,  without  any  hope  in  Christ. 


THE  BLOOD.  113 

Suppose  you  were  a  millionnaire,  what  would  your  millions  be  worth 
then  ?  The  blood  of  Christ  would  be  worth  more  to  you  than  all 
the  silver  and  gold  of  the  world. 

The  blood  has  two  cries  :  it  cries  either  for  my  condemnation, 
or  if  you  will  allow  me  to  use  a  stronger  word,  for  my  damnation ; 
or  it  cries  for  my  salvation.  If  I  reject  the  blood  of  Christ,  it  cries 
out  for  my  condemnation  j  if  I  accept  it,  it  cries  out  for  pardon  and 
peace.  The  blood  of  Abel  cried  out  against  his  brother  Cain.  So 
it  was  in  the  days  of  Christ.  When  Pilate  had  Christ  on  his 
hands,  he  said  to  the  Jews,  "  What  shall  I  do  with  Him  ?  "  They 
cried  out,  "  Away  with  Him  !  crucify  Him  !"  And  when  he  asked 
which  one  he  should  release,  Barabbas  or  Christ,  they  cried  out, 
"  Barabbas  !  "  Then  when  he  asked  again,  "  What  shall  I  then  do 
with  Him  ?  "  a  universal  shout  went  up  from  Jerusalem,  "  Let 
Him  be  crucified  !  Away  with  Him  !  We  do  not  want  Him." 
Pilate  turned  and  washed  his  hands,  and  said,  "  I  am  innocent  of 
this  just  Man's  blood,,,  and  they  cried,  "  His  blood  be  on  us  and 
on  our  children  5  We  shall  take  the  responsibility  of  it  5  we  shall 
endorse  the  act  ;  you  crucify  Him,  and  let  his  blood  be  on  ur>  and 
on  our  children."  Would  to  God  that  there  might  be  a  cry  going 
up,  "  Let  his  blood  be  on  us  to  save,  not  to  condemn." 

Turn  now  to  Col.  i.  20 :  u  Having  made  peace  through  the 
blood  of  his  cross."  I  can  tell  you  there  is  no  peace  in  the  world. 
There  are  many  rich  men,  many  great  men  in  the  world,  who  have 
got  no  peace.  No ;  I  have  never  seen  a  man  who  knew  what 
peace  was  until  he  got  it  at  Calvary. 

"  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  "  (Romans  v.  1).  Sin  covered — that  brings 
peace.  There  is  no  peace  for  the  wicked  -,  they  are  like  the 
troubled  sea  that  cannot  rest.  Calvary  is  the  place  to  find  peace — 
peace  for  the  past  and  grace  for  the  present.  But  there  is  some- 
thing better  still.  "And  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God." 
Some  people  think  that  when  they  get  to  Calvary  they  have  got 
the  best,  but  there  is  something  better  in  store — glory.  I  do  not 
know  how  near  it  may  be  to  us  ;  it  may  be  that  some  of  us  will 
be  ushered  very  soon  into  the  presence  of  the  King.  One  gaze 
at  Him  will  be  enough  to  reward  us  for  all  we  have  had  to  bear. 
Yes,  there  is   peace  for  the  past,  grace  for  the  present,  and  glory 

* 


U4  THE  BLOOD. 

for  the  future.  These  are  three  things  that  every  child  of  God 
ought  to  have.  When  the  angels  came  bringing  the  gospel,  they 
proclaimed,  "  Glory  to  God,  peace  on  earth,  and  good-will  towards 
men."  That  is  what  the  blood  brings — sin  covered  and  taken 
away,  peace  for  the  past,  grace  for  the  present,  and  glory  for  the 
future.  r 

Would  you  now  turn  to  John  xix.  34:  "But  one  of  the 
soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side,  and  forthwith  came  there- 
out blood  and  water."  You  know  that  in  Zechariah  it  was  foretold 
that  there  should  be  opened  in  the  house  of  David  a  fountain  for 
sin  and  for  uncleanness.  And  now  we  have  it  opened.  The  Son 
of  God  has  been  pierced  by  that  Roman  soldier's  spear.  It 
seems  to  me  that  that  was  the  crowning  act  of  earth  and  hell — the 
crowning  act  of  sin.  Look  at  that  Roman  soldier  as  he  pushed 
his  spear  into  the  very  heart  of  the  God-man.  What  a  hellish 
deed !  But  what  was  the  next  thing  that  took  place  ?  Blood 
covered  the  spear!  Oh  !  thank  God,  the  blood  covers  sin. 
There  was  the  blood  covering  that  spear- — the  very  point  of  it. 
The  very  crowning  act  of  sin  brought  out  the  crowning  act  of 
love  j  the  crowning  act  of  wickedness  was  the  crowning  act 
of  grace. 

A  usurper  has  got  this  world  now;  but  Christ  will  have  it 
soon.  The  time  of  your  redemption  draweth  nigh.  A  little  more 
suffering,  and  He  returns  to  set  up  his  kingdom  and  reign  upon 
the  earth.  He  will  rend  the  heavens,  and  his  voice  will  be  heard 
again.  He  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout.  He  will 
sway  his  sceptre  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The 
thorn  and  the  brier  shall  be  swept  away  and  the  wilderness  shall 
rejoice.  Let  us  rejoice;  we  shall  see  better  days;  the  dreary 
darkness  and  sin  that  sweep  along  our  earth  shall  be  done  away 
with.  These  dark  waves  of  death  and  hell  shall  be  beaten  back. 
Oh,  let  us  pray  to  the  Lord  to  hasten  his  coming,  that  the  Son  of 
God  may  not  tarry. 

Would  you  now  turn  to  Rom.  iii.  24 :  "Being  justified  freely 
by  his  grace,  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 
What  God  does  He  does  freely,  because  He  loves  to  do  it.  Mark 
these  words,  "  Through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Then  in  the  fifth  chapter,  ninth  verse,  we  read, (t  Much  more  then, 


THE  BLOOD.  115 

being  now  justified  by  his  blood,  we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath 
through  Him."  The  sinner  is  justified  with  God  by  his  match- 
less grace  through  the  blood  of  his  Son.  Justified,  that  means,  as 
just  as  if  he  had  never  committed  sin.  What  a  wonderful  thing  ; 
not  one  sin  against  him  !  It  is  as  if  he  owed  some  one  a  debt,  and 
when  he  went  to  pay  it,  was  told,  "  There  is  nothing  against  you  5 
it  is  all  settled."  "  Why,"  he  would  say,  "how  is  that?  I  got 
some  things  from  you  not  long  ago,  and  I  want  to  pay  the  bill." 
" There  is  nothing  against  you."  "But  I  am  sure  I  got  something 
here."  "  There  is  nothing  against  you  in  my  ledger  ;  some  one 
else  has  come  and  paid  it."  That  is  substitution.  Now  I  know 
who  paid  my  spiritual  debts.  It  was  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And 
God  looks  at  his  ledger  and  there  is  nothing  against  us.  Christ 
was  raised  up  for  our  justification.  It  is  a  good  deal  better  to  be 
justified  than  pardoned.  Suppose  I  was  arrested  for  stealing 
$1000,  tried  and  found  guilty,  but  suppose  the  judge  had  mercy 
on  me  and  pardoned  me.  I  would  come  out  of  prison,  but  it  would 
be  with  my  head  down.  I  had  been  found  guilty,  I  could  never 
face  the  world  again.  But  suppose  I  was  accused  of  stealing  it, 
but  it  could  not  be  proven,  and  when  the  case  came  on,  it  was 
found  I  had  not  done  anything  of  the  kind  j  then  I  would  be 
justified.  It  would  make  all  the  difference  in  the  world.  Now 
God  justifies  us  by  the  blood  of  his  Son.  That  is  what  the  blood 
does — sin  covered,  put  out  of  the  way,  and  nothing  against  us.  Is 
not  that  good  news  ? 

Rev.  i.  5  :  "  Unto  Him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from 
our  sins  in  his  own  blood."  There  are  a  great  many  people 
who  wish  to  be  saved,  but  who  think  they  cannot  be  saved  until 
they  get  a  little  better.  I  met  a  young  man  in  the  inquiry-room 
last  night  who  was  anxious  to  be  saved,  but  he  thought  he  could 
not  be,  because  he  was  not  good  enough.  Jf  you  are  going  to 
wait  till  you  get  rid  of  your  sins,  you  will  never  be  saved.  You 
cannot  get  rid  of  one  sin.  Instead  of  getting  better  you  will  get 
worse.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  He  loves  us  even  in  our  sins, 
even  before  He  saves  us  from  our  sins.  '*  He  hath  loved  us  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood."  Loved  us  first,  then 
washed  us.  But  if  we  attempt  to  wash  ourselves  we  will  make 
wretched  work  of  it.   The  blood  will  cover  it  all  up  if  we  only  trust 


u6  THE  BLOOD. 

ourselves  to  Christ.  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect?  If  He  has  justified  me  it  is  enough.  Why  do  we 
like  to  sing  that  old  hymn — 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 
Drawn  from  ImmanueFs  veins?" 

Why  will  it  live  as  long  as  the  church  lives  on  earth  ?  Why 
will  it  never  die  ?  Why  do  you  hear  it  sung  all  over  Christendom  ? 
I  remember  how  it  used  to  thrill  my  soul  even  before  I  was  con- 
verted. I  could  not  tell  why.  Thank  God,  every  sin  is  lost  in 
that  fountain.  You  will  find  that  all  these  hymns  with  the  scarlet 
thread  in  them  will  live.     There  is  that  grand  old  hymn  : — 

"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee  ; 
Let  the  water  and  the  blood, 
From  Thy  riven  side  that  flowed, 
Be  of  sin  the  double  cure, 
Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power." 

That  speaks  of  the  crucified  Christ  j  it  will  never  get  worn  out. 
Then  there  is — 

"  Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bidst  me  come  to  Thee, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come." 

That  is  another  hymn  that  will  live  ;  you  never  tire  of  it.  It 
will  be  sung  on  and  on,  as  long  as  the  church  is  on  earth.  I  tell 
you  why  these  hymns  are  so  precious ;  it  is  because  they  tell  us 
about  the  blood. 

Look  at  Matt.  xxvi.  28, — it  is  Christ's  own  testimony — "  For 
this  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for 
the  remission  of  sins."  Look  at  this  verse,  "  I  declare  unto  you 
the  gospel,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
Scriptures."  Look  at  Heb.  ix.  22,  "  And  without  shedding  of 
blood  is  no  remission."  I  would  like  to  ask  those  men  who  do 
not  believe  in  the  blood,  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  your 
sins  ? "  Would  you  insult  the  Almighty  by  offering  Him  the 
fruit  of  your  body  to  atone  for  them  ?  Can  a  man  atone  for  sin  ? 
if  there  is  a  scoffer  here,  a  man  who  makes  light  of  the  blood,  I 


THE  BLOOD.  1 17 

want  to  know  what  he  is  going  to  do  ?  When  I  was  m  one  of 
your  cities,  a  gentleman  came  to  me  and  said,  "  If  you  are  right,  I 
am  wrong  5  and  if  I  am  right,  you  are  wrong."  I  saw  he  was 
a  minister,  and  I  said,  "Well,  I  never  heard  you  preach  j  if  you 
have  heard  me  you  can  tell  what  the  difference  is.  Where 
do  we  differ?  "  "  Well,  you  preach  that  it  is  the  death  of  Christ ; 
I  preach  his  life.  I  tell  people  his  death  has  nothing  to  do  with 
it ;  you  tell  them  his  life  has  nothing  to  do  with  their  salvation, 
and  that  his  death  only  will  save  them.  I  do  not  believe  a  word 
of  it."  "Well,"  I  said,  "what  do  you  do  with  this  passage, 
'Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree '  ?  " 
"Well,  I  never  preached  on  that  text."  "What  do  you  do  with 
this,  then,  '  Ye  are  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things  as 
silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ '?  "  I  never 
preached  on  that  text  either,"  was  the  reply.  "Well,  what  do  you 
do  with  this,  '  Without  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remis- 
sion'? "  "  I  never  spoke  on  that,"  he  said.  "What  do  you  do 
with  this,  *  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities,  and  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon 
Him'?"  "I  never  preached  on  that  either."  "What  do  you 
preach,  then  ?  "  I  asked.  He  hesitated  for  a  little,  and  then  said, 
"I  preach  moral  essays."  "You  leave  out  the  atonement?" 
"Yes."  "Well,"  I  said,  "it  would  all  be  a  sham  to  me  if  I  did 
that  5  I  could  not  understand  it.  I  would  be  away  home  to- 
morrow. I  would  not  know  what  to  preach.  Moral  essays  on 
Christ  without  his  death!"  The  young  man  said,  "Well,  it 
does  seem  a  sham  sometimes."  He  was  honest  enough  to  con- 
fess that.  Why,  the  whole  thing  is  a  myth  without  the  at-one- 
ment.  The  crucifixion  of  Christ  is  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
matter.  If  a  man  is  unsound  on  the  blood,  he  is  unsound  in 
everything.     "Without  shedding  of  blood  is  no  remission." 

Turn  now  to  Heb.  x.  1 1.  Hebrews  is  full  of  the  blood.  "  And 
every  priest  standeth  daily  ministering  and  offering  oftentimes  the 
same  sacrifices,  which  can  never  take  away  sins.  But  this  man  " 
— what  man? — the  man  Christ  Jesus,  "  after  He  had  offered  one 
sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God."  One 
sacrifice  for  sins  for  ever  !  He  has  offered  as  a  sacrifice  Himself. 
You  need  no  lambs  now,  no  bullocks   now.     The  High   Priest 


n8  THE  BLOOD. 

has  offered  Himself.  The  high  priest  of  old  could  not  take  his 
seat;  his  work  was  never  done.  But  our  great  High  Priest  went 
up  on  high,  and  took  his  seat  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Father's 
throne:  the  work  was  done.  "It  is  finished,' '  He  said.  All 
those  types  and  shadows  are  fulfilled  in  Him,  and  now  they  have 
vanished  away. 

Look  at  Mark  xiv.  24  •  "  This  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testa- 
ment which  is  shed  for  many."  These  are  Christ's  own  words. 
Take  that  in  connection  with  the  passage  I  read  from  Hebrews, 
"  Without  shedding  of  blood  is  no  remission."  I"  believe  if  a 
man  could  get  to  heaven  without  the  blood  of  Christ,  he  would 
not  be  happy  there.  He  could  not  join  in  the  great  song  that  is 
sung  around  the  throne;  he  could  not  sing  the  song  of  Moses 
and  the  Lamb  ;  he  could  not  say  he  was  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb.  You  would  see  him  away  in  some  corner;  he 
would  be  out  of  tune  with  the  rest ;  he  would  not  be  in  harmony 
with  them,  and  he  would  not  wish  to  stay  there.  But  he  could 
not  get  there.  The  only  way  is  by  the  new  and  living  way  that 
Christ  has  opened. 

Turn  back  again  for  a  minute  to  Heb.  x.  19 :  "  Having, 
therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living  way  which  He  hath  consecrated  for 
us,  through  the  veil,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh."  Those  Jews,  before 
Christ  died,  had  to  have  the  high  priest  intercede  for  them.  He 
used  to  go  in  once  a  year  into  the  holy  of  holies  with  blood  to 
make  intercession  ;  but  since  Christ,  our  great  High  Priest,  came, 
we  do  not  need  any  Aaron  to  intercede  for  us.  When  Christ  died, 
He  opened  a  new  and  living  way.  He  made  us  all  kings  and  priests. 
It  is  said  that  the  veil  that  was  rent  was  his  flesh.  When  He  cried 
on  the  cross,  "  It  is  finished,"  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in 
twain.  God  seized  it  with  his  right  hand  and  tore  it  away.  No  veil 
between  God  and  man  now  !  We  need  no  bishop,  no  pope,  no 
priest  to  intercede  for  us  now.  Christ  has  died,  yea,  is  risen  again. 
Yes,  we  are  all  kings  and  priests  now ;  we  can  go  straight  to  the 
holy  of  holies  ourselves.  We  need  no  man  to  intercede  for  our 
souls.  The  moment  a  man  is  saved  by  the  blood,  he  becomes  a 
king  and  a  priest.  God  calls  him  a  My  son."  He  is  an  heir  of 
heaven  and  of  glory.     He  is  redeemed  by  the  blood  3  he  is  made 


THE  BLOOD.  119 

nigh  by  the  blood.     He  gets  victory  over  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil,  by  the  blood. 

There  is  a  very  solemn  verse  in  Heb.  x.  28  :  "  He  that  despised 
Moses'  law  died  without  mercy  under  two  or  three  witnesses  ;  of 
bow  much  sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought 
worthy,  who  hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath 
counted  the  blood  of  the  covenant  wherewith  he  was  sanctified  an 
unholy  thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto  the  spirit  of  grace  ?  " 
If  a  man  despised  Moses'  law,  they  led  him  out  and  stoned  him 
to  death.  Sinner,  let  me  ask  you,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
the  blood  of  God's  only  Son  ?  I  tell  you  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to 
make  light  of  the  blood,  to  laugh  and  ridicule  the  doctrine  of  the 
blood.  I  would  rather  fall  dead  on  this  platform  than  do  such 
a  thing.  It  makes  my  heart  shudder  when  I  hear  men  speak 
lightly  of  it.  Some  time  ago  a  very  solemn  thought  came  stealing 
over  me,  and  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  The  only 
thing  that  Christ  left  of  his  body  on  the  earth  was  his  blood.  His 
flesh  and  bones  He  took  away.  But  when  He  went  up  on  high, 
He  left  his  blood  down  here.  What  are  you  going  to  do  with 
the  blood  ?  Are  you  going  to  make  light  of  this  blood,  to  trample 
on  it  ?     May  God  give  us  all  a  glimpse  of  Christ  crucified  to-night. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  go  on  and  talk  about  the  blood  in  Reve- 
lation ;  it  is  full  of  it.  "  They  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  and  the  word  of  their  testimony."  That  is  the  only  way  to 
overcome  the  devil,  the  lion  of  hell — by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
He  knows  that  the  moment  a  poor  sinner  flees  to  the  blood  he  is 
beyond  his  reach. 

As  I  have  travelled  up  and  down  Christendom  I  have  foui  d 
out  that  a  minister  who  gives  a  clear  sound  upon  this  doctrine  is 
successful.  A  man  who  covers  up  the  cross,  though  he  may  be 
an  intellectual  man,  and  draw  large  crowds,  will  have  no  life  there, 
and  his  church  will  be  but  a  gilded  sepulchre.  Those  men  who 
preach  the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  and  hold  up  Christ  as  the  sinner's 
only  hope  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sinner's  only  substitute,  who  make 
much  of  the  blood,  God  honours,  and  souls  are  always  saved  in  the 
church  where  the  blood  of  Christ  is  preached.  May  God  help  us 
to  make  much  of  the  blood  of  his  Son.  It  cost  God  so  much  to 
give  us  His  Son,  and  shall  we  try  to  keep  Him  from  the  world 


120  THE  BLOOD. 

which  is  perishing  from  the  want  of  Him  ?  The  world  can  get 
along  without  us,  but  not  without  Christ.  Let  us  preach  Christ  in 
season  and  out  of  season.  Let  us  go  to  the  sick  and  dying,  and 
hold  up  the  Saviour  who  came  to  seek  and  save  them — who  died 
to  redeem  them.  "They  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb 
and  the  word  of  their  testimony." 

Once  more,  in  Revelation  vii.  14 :  "  These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  Sinner,  how  are 
you  going  to  get  your  robes  clean  if  you  do  not  get  them  washed 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ?  How  are  you  going  to  wash  them  ? 
Can  you  make  them  clean  ?  I  pray  that  at  last  we  may  all  get 
back  to  the  paradise  above.  There  they  are  singing  the  sweet 
song  of  redemption.  May  it  be  the  happy  lot  of  each  of  us  to 
join  them.  It  will  be  a  few  years  at  the  longest  before  we 
shall  be  there  to  sing  the  sweet  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 
But  if  you  die  without  Christ,  without  hope,  and  without  God, 
where  will  you  be  ?  O  sinner,  be  wise  j  do  not  make  light  of  the 
blood.  An  aged  minister  of  the  gospel,  on  his  dying  bed,  said, 
"  Bring  me  the  Bible."  Putting  his  finger  upon  the  verse,  "The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin,"  he  said, 
tf  I  die  in  the  hope  of  this  verse."  It  was  not  his  fifty  years' 
preaching,  but  the  blood  of  Christ.  May  God  grant  that  when 
we  come  at  last  to  stand  before  the  great  white  throne,  our  robes 
may  be  washed  in  the  cleansing  blood  of  Christ  i 


HEAVEN, 

Part   I. 


Some  time  ago,  on  my  way  to  a  meeting,  a  friend  asked  what  was 
to  be  my  subject.  I  told  him  I  thought  I  would  preach  about 
Heaven.  He  seemed  much  disappointed,  and  replied  that  he  was 
in  hopes  I  should  talk  about  something  practical,  and  that  there 
would  be  time  enough  to  talk  about  heaven  when  we  got  there. 

Now,  I  think  if  God  did  not  want  us  to  know  anything  about 
heaven,  He  would  not  have  written  so  much  about  it.  And  if 
heaven  is  to  be  our  future  home,  we  should  try  to  learn  all  we  can 
about  it,  so  that  we  may  be  living  more  for  it.  If  we  were  about 
to  emigrate  to  a  distant  land,  we  should  never  tire  hearing  about 
it.  We  should  wish  to  know  all  about  its  people,  its  climate  and 
resources,  its  schools  and  institutions,  its  advantages  for  chil- 
dren, and  its  prospects  for  business.  There  would  be  nothing  re- 
lating to  the  country  that  would  not  interest  us.  And  when  we  are 
going  to  spend  eternity  in  another  world,  can  we  know  or  hear 
too  much  about  it  ? 

Christians  are  often  asked  why  they  address  their  prayers 
upwards,  as  if  God's  dwelling-place  were  any  more  above  than 
around  them.  But  I  think  it  is  right  to  locate  heaven,  and  to 
locate  it  above.  In  the  twenty-sixth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy  we 
read,  "Look  down  from  thy  holy  habitation,  from  heaven,  and 
bless  thy  people  Israel.,,  Look  down  from  heaven.  Then  in 
Genesis  we  are  told  that  God  "went  up"  from  talking  with 
Abraham— went  up.  And  Christ  himself,  the  only  One  who  can 
really  tell  us  about  heaven,  for  He  has  been  there,  what  does  He 


122  HEAVEN. 

say  ?  In  the  third  chapter  of  John  you  find  the  words,  "  No 
man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven  but  He  that  came  down  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  heaven."  In  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Mark,  again  we  are  told  that,  "  looking  up  to 
heaven,  He  sighed."  And  when  his  work  was  over  here,  and  He 
was  just  returning  to  the  many  mansions  of  his  Father's  house, 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  loved  ones  for  whom  He  was  going  to 
prepare  a  place,  "  Behold,  He  was  taken  up,  and  a  cloud  received 
Him  out  of  their  sight." 

Heaven  is  the  dwelling-place  of  God.  This,  after  all,  is  the 
great  point.  It  matters  little  how  far  away  it  is.  God  is  there, 
and  that  is  enough.  And  we  may  be  sure  that  it  is  not  so  far 
away  but  that  He  can  hear  the  humblest  sigh  of  prayer  or  watch 
the  gathering  tears  of  penitence  trembling  on  the  sinner's  cheek. 
And  man,  too,  can  look  from  earth  to  heaven.  When  God  opens 
his  eyes,  and  draws  aside  the  veil,  like  Stephen,  He  can  see  right 
into  it.  et  He  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  looked  up  steadfastly 
into  heaven,  and  saw  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the 
right  hand  of  God,  and  said,  Behold,  I  see  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  Son  of  Man  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God."  Stephen 
found  out  the  secret  of  the  attractiveness  of  heaven.  He  saw 
Christ  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  The  King  in  his  beauty  was 
there,  and  that  makes  heaven  heaven. 

Some  one  being  asked  what  he  expected  to  do  when  he  got  to 
heaven,  replied  that  he  thought  he  would  take  one  good  look  at 
Christ  for  about  five  hundred  years,  and  then  he  might  look  round 
and  see  the  apostles,  and  saints,  and  martyrs.  And  it  seems  to  me 
that  one  glimpse  of  Him  who  loved  us,  and  washed  us  in  his 
blood,  will  repay  us  for  all  we  can  suffer  here  in  this  dark  world. 

A  little  child,  whose  mother  was  dying,  was  taken  away  to  live 
with  some  friends  because  it  was  thought  she  did  not  understand 
what  death  is.  All  the  while  the  child  wanted  to  go  home  and 
see  her  mother.  At  last,  when  the  funeral  was  over,  and  she  was 
taken  home,  she  ran  all  over  the  house,  searching  the  sitting- 
room,  the  parlour,  the  library,  and  the  bedrooms.  She  went  from 
one  end  of  the  house  to  the  other,  and  when  she  could  not  find 
her  mother,  she  wished  to  be  taken  back  to  where  they  brought 
her  from.     Home  had  lost  its  attractions  for  the  child  when  her 


HEAVEN.  123 

mother  was  not  there.  My  friends,  the  great  attraction  in  heaven 
will  not  be  its  pearly  gates,  its  golden  streets,  nor  its  choir  of 
angels,  but  it  will  be  Christ.  Heaven  would  be  no  heaven  if 
Christ  were  not  there.  But  we  know  that  He  is  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father,  and  those  eyes  shall  gaze  on  Him  by-and-by  -,  and 
we  shall  be  satisfied  when  we  awake  with  his  likeness. 

But  the  company  of  heaven  is  more  varied  still — our  friends 
are  there.  God  the  Father  is  there,  Christ  the  Son  is  there,  angels 
are  there,  and  in  Rev.  vii.  we  read  of  fi  a  great  multitude,  which 
no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
tongues."  We  read  of  the  redeemed  who  stand  "  before  the  throne, 
and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their 
hands."     Yes,  we  have  friends  in  heaven. 

A.  bereaved  father  asked  me  the  other  day  if  I  thought  the  little 
one  he  had  lost  had  gone  to  be  with  Jesus.  I  could  only  tell  him 
what  David  said  when  he  lost  his  son,  "  I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he 
shall  not  return  to  me."  It  is  a  very  sweet  thought  to  me,  and  it 
must  be  to  you  also  who  have  lost  little  ones,  that  the  King  can 
take  better  care  of  them  than  we  can.  If  we  could  look  into  the 
eternal  city  we  should  see  the  Shepherd  leading  them  by  the  green 
pastures  and  the  still  waters.  He  will  care  for  each  little  lost 
lamb  Himself  far  better  than  its  own  fond  mother  5  and  is  it  not 
sweeter  for  them  to  be  for  ever  with  the  Lord  than  down  in  this 
sad  land  of  suffering  and  sin  ?  Our  friends  are  not  lost,  just  gone 
before.  They  have  had  "the  desire  to  depart  and  to  be  with 
Christ,  which  is  far  better,"  and  He  has  gratified  it.  Although  to 
live  was  to  live  for  Christ,  yet  to  be  with  Him,  was,  even  with  Paul, 
"  far  better." 

But  there  is  more  in  heaven  still.  Once  the  disciples  had  been 
out  preaching  and  met  with  wonderful  success.  *  They  had  great 
power,  had  cast  out  devils,  and  worked  many  miracles.  They 
came  back  greatly  elated.  Like  workers  in  a  great  revival,  they 
say  to  one  another,  "  Is  not  this  glorious  ?  "  But  Christ  says,  "  Do 
not  rejoice  at  that.  I  will  tell  you  what  to  rejoice  about.  In 
this  rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  to  you,  but  rather  rejoice 
that  your  names  are  written  in  heaven."  What  a  glorious  thought 
is  this !  Our  names  are  written  in  heaven.  We  may  be  sure  of 
it.     If  the  children  of  God  are  not  to  know  that  their  names  are 


124  HEAVEN. 

written  in  heaven  how  are  they  to  rejoice  ?  If  there  had  been  any 
doubt  about  it,  how  could  the  disciples  have  rejoiced  when  Christ 
told  them  to  rejoice  ?  It  is  our  privilege,  if  we  are  Christians,  not 
only  to  know  it,  to  be  quite  sure  of  it,  but  to  rejoice  in  it. 

The  grand  question  of  life  is,  Is  my  name  written  in  heaven  ? 
Is  my  name  in  the  Book  of  Life  ?  Not,  Is  it  in  the  Church  record  ? 
That  record  may  not  be  kept  in  the  same  way  that  the  record  in 
heaven  is  kept.  And  there  may  be  names  in  the  Church  record 
which  have  never  been  written  in  heaven.  But  it  is  God's  record 
we  are  talking  about.  God  keeps  a  record,  a  book  of  the  lost  and 
a  book  of  the  saved,  a  book  of  the  living  and  a  book  of  the  dead. 
Which  book  is  your  name  in  ?  Can  you  rejoice  this  moment  that 
your  name  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  ?  Weigh  the  question 
well.  It  is  very  important.  For  "  Whosoever  was  not  found 
written  in  the  Book  of  Life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire."  *  And 
there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth  it,  neither 
whatsoever  worketh  an  abomination  or  maketh  a  lie  $  but  they 
which  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life." 

Some  friends,  lately,  in  travelling,  arrived  at  an  English  hotel, 
but  found  that  it  had  been  full  for  days.  They  were  turning 
away  to  seek  accommodation  elsewhere,  when  a  lady  of  the  party 
bade  the  others  adieu,  and  expressed  her  intention  to  remain. 
"How  can  that  be,"  they  asked,  "when  you  hear  the  hotel  is 
full  ?  "  "Oh,"  she  replied,  "  I  telegraphed  on  ahead  a  number  of 
days  ago,  and  my  room  has  been  secured."  My  friend,  send  on 
your  name  ahead,  and  the  door  of  heaven  can  never  be  shut  against 
you.  Be  sure  it  is  a  wise  precaution.  Then  everything  will  be 
ready  for  you.  And  when  the  journey  of  life  is  over,  you  will 
mount  up  as  with  angel  wings,  and  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Many  are  spending  their  time 
and  strength  for  a  home  down  here,  with  its  shallow  luxuries  and 
fleeting  joys.  But  what  will  all  the  mansions  of  earth  do  for  you, 
c  you  have  secured  no  title  to  a  mansion  in  the  sky  ? 

A  soldier,  wounded  during  our  last  war,  lay  dying  in  his  cot. 
Suddenly  the  deathlike  stillness  of  the  room  was  broken  by  the 
cry,  "Here!  Here!"  which  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  dying 
man.  Friends  rushed  to  the  spot  and  asked  what  he  wanted. 
"  Hark,"  he  said,  "  they  are  calling  the  roll  of  heaven,  and  I  am 


HEAVEN.  125 

answering  to  my  name."  In  a  few  moments  once  more  he 
whispered,  "  Here  !  "  and  passed  into  the  presence  of  the  King. 

If  we  have  made  sure  that  our  own  names  are  written  in 
heaven,  the  next  most  important  thing  is  to  be  sure  that  our 
children's  names  are  there.  The  promise  is  not  unto  you  only  but 
unto  your  children.  Mother,  is  the  name  of  that  boy  of  yours 
written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  life  ?  Is  it  not  better  that  your 
children's  names  should  be  written  there,  than  that  you  should 
secure  for  them  great  possessions  on  this  dark  earth  ?  Oh,  I  pity 
the  son  who  has  never  had  an  interest  beyond  the  grave  ;  but  more 
the  mother  who  has  never  told  him  of  the  rest  that  remaineth  for 
the  people  of  God.  May  God  make  fathers  and  mothers  more 
faithful  and  true  to  their  solemn  charge,  that  their  children  may 
grow  up  to  be  a  blessing  to  the  world,  and  that  they  meet  at  last, 
an  unbroken  circle,  in  heaven ! 

Whenever  I  think  about  this  subject,  two  fathers  come  before 
me.  One  lived  on  the  Mississippi  River.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
wealth.  Yet  he  would  have  freely  given  it  all  could  he  have 
brought  back  his  eldest  boy  from  his  early  grave.  One  day  that 
b  >y  had  been  borne  home  unconscious.  They  did  everything  that 
man  could  do  to  restore  him,  but  in  vain.  "  He  must  die,"  said 
the  doctor.  "  But,  doctor,"  said  the  agonized  father,  "  can  you  do 
nothing  to  bring  him  to  consciousness,  even  for  a  moment  ?  " 
"  That  may  be,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  but  he  can  never  live."  Time 
passed,  and  after  a  terrible  suspense  the  father's  wish  was  gratified. 
"My  son,"  he  whispered,  "the  doctor  tells  me  you  are  dying." 
'Well,"  said  the  boy,  "you  never  prayed  for  me,  father j  won't 
you  pray  for  my  lost  soul  now  ? ''  The  father  wept.  It  was  true 
he  had  never  prayed.  .He  was  a  stranger  to  God.  And  in  a  little 
while  that  soul,  unprayed  for,  passed  into  its  dark  eternity.  Oh. 
father  !  if  your  boy  was  dying,  and  called  on  you  to  pray,  could  you 
lift  your  burdened  heart  to  heaven  ?  Have  you  learned  this  sweetest 
lesson  of  heaven  or  earth,  to  know  and  hold  communion  with  your 
God  ?  And  before  this  evil  world  has  marked  your  dearest  trea- 
sures for  its  prey,  have  you  learned  to  lead  your  little  ones  to  a 
children's  Christ? 

What  a  contrast  is  the  other  father !  He,  too,  had  a  lovely 
boy,  and  one  day  he  came  home  to  find  him  at  the  gates  of  death. 


126  HEAVEN. 

"  A  great  change  has  come  over  our  boy,"  said  the  weeping  mother ; 
"  he  has  only  been  a  little  ill  before,  but  it  seems  now  as  if  he  were 
dying  fast."  The  father  went  into  the  room,  and  placed  his  hand  on 
the  forehead  of  the  little  boy.  He  could  see  the  boy  was  dying.  He 
could  feel  the  cold  damp  of  death.  "  My  son,  do  you  know  you 
are  dying?"  "No;  am  I?"  "Yes;  you  are  dying."  "And 
shall  I  die  to-day?  "  "Yes,  my  boy,  you  cannot  live  till  night." 
"  Well,  then,  I  shall  be  with  Jesus  to-night,  won't  I,  father  ? " 
"  Yes,  my  son,  you  will  spend  to-night  with  the  Saviour."  As  he 
turned  away,  the  little  fellow  saw  the  tears  trickling  over  his  father's 
cheeks.  "  Don't  weep  for  me,  father,"  he  said ;  "  when  I  get  to 
heaven  I  will  go  right  straight  to  Jesus,  and  tell  Him  that  ever 
since  I  can  remember  you  have  tried  to  lead  me  to  Him."  God 
has  given  me  one  little  boy,  and  if  God  should  take  him,  I  would 
rather  have  him  carry  such  a  testimony  as  that  to  my  Master,  than 
have  all  the  wealth  of  the  world  rolled  at  his  feet. 

Mothers  and  fathers,  the  little  ones  may  begin  early  5  be  in 
earnest  with  them  now.  You  know  not  how  soon  you  may  be 
taken  from  them,  or  they  may  be  taken  from  you.  Therefore  let 
this  impression  be  made  upon  their  minds  that  you  care  for  their 
souls  a  million  times  more  than  for  their  worldly  prospects.  And 
if  you  yourself  have  never  thought  how  little  it  would  profit  you 
to  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  your  own  soul,  I  beseech  you 
not  to  let  another  sun  go  down  before  you  are  able  to  say  that  your 
nar»«  has  been  written  in  heaven. 


HEAVEN. 

Part  II. 


We  have  seen  how  God  is  in  heaven,  for  it  is  his  dwelling-place } 
how  Christ  is  there,  for  He  is  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father ; 
how  the  redeemed  saints  are  there ;  how  our  names  are  there  ;  and 
now,  if  we  are  true  Christians,  we  ought  to  have  our  treasure  there. 
We  are  commanded  to  "  Lay  up  for  ourselves  treasures  in  heaven." 
M  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  and 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal ;  but 
lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor 
steal." 

If  our  treasure  were  in  heaven  we  should  not  have  to  be  urging 
men  to  live  for  heaven,  or  pleading  with  them  to  lift  their  hearts 
heavenward.  Their  hearts  would  be  there  already  5  "  where  your 
treasure  is  there  will  your  heart  be  also." 

It  does  not  take  long  to  find  out  where  a  man's  treasure  is,  you 
have  only  to  watch  where  his  heart  is.  The  man  who  makes 
politics  his  god,  see  how  his  face  lights  up  the  moment  you  talk 
about  it !  Here  is  a  man  whose  heart  is  set  upon  business  ;  put 
him  in  the  way  of  making  a  few  thousands  even  at  the  risk  of 
losing  a  few  more,  and  you  have  done  him  the  greatest  favour 
in  the  world.  Here  is  another  whose  god  is  pleasure  j  his  eye 
sparkles  when  you  even  mention  it.  One  would  think  from  such 
men  that  there  is  nothing  worth  living  for  but  politics,  and  business, 
and  pleasure.  But  talk  to  a  child  of  God  whose  treasures  are  in 
heaven  j  the  world  scarce  interests  him.  He  will  tell  you  how 
he  has  here  no  continuing  city,  how  he  is  but  a  stranger  and 


128  HEAVEN. 

a  pilgrim,  how  heaven  is  his  home-  And  as  he  talks  of  Christ, 
and  the  promises,  and  the  hope  beyond  the  grave,  you  see  that  he 
enjoys  the  heavenly  calm  which  the  world  knows  not  of. 

When  I  was  on  the  Pacific  Coast  I  spent  my  first  Sunday  in 
San  Francisco.  I  went  to  the  Sunday-school,  but  it  was  a  very 
wet,  stormy  day,  and  so  few  teachers  or  scholars  made  their  appear- 
ance, that  the  superintendent  was  in  doubt  whether  he  should  not 
send  them  home  again.  However,  as  they  had  come  through  the 
rain,  it  was  decided  to  go  on  with  the  lesson,  and  I  was  asked  to 
undertake  the  task.  The  subject  happened  to  be,  "  Our  Treasures 
in  Heaven."  The  blackboard  was  got  ready,  and  being  a  poor 
writer  myself,  I  handed  the  chalk  to  one  of  the  teachers,  and  said  to 
the  children,  "  Now,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  some  earthly  treasures  j 
what  do  you  suppose  men  think  most  of?"  Some  one  cried, 
"  Money."  "  Put  that  down,"  I  said.  «*  Anything  else  ?"  "  Lands." 
"  Put  that  down."  Many  strange  things  were  said  $  one  little  boy 
said  fl  Rum,"  and  perhaps  he  was  nearer  the  truth  than  any  of  them, 
for  many  a  man  will  sell  soul  and  body,  and  business  and  family,  and 
home  and  everything  else  for  drink  5  and  when  the  catalogue  was 
finished,  I  asked  them  next  to  give  me  a  list  of  heavenly  treasures. 
The  first  answer  was  a  Jesus ;  "  and  as  we  went  on  from  one  to 
another,  we  found  that  the  treasures  of  heaven  were  far  more 
numerous  and  very  much  more  precious  than  all  the  treasures  which 
the  earth  could  give.  The  young  man  who  was  writing  down  the 
answers  was  an  unconverted  teacher.  As  he  scanned  the  lists  and 
compared  the  earthly  with  the  heavenly,  he  stood  transfixed  with 
shame.  "What  a  fool  have  I  been  !  "  he  says  to  himself}  "  I  have 
come  to  this  Pacific  Coast,  and  spent  my  substance  for  such  things 
of  earth  !  "  And  there  at  that  blackboard  he  vowed  to  God  that 
for  the  rest  of  his  life  his  heart  should  be  set  alone  upon  the  things 
which  are  above. 

Think  with  me  for  a  moment  what  earthly  treasures  are. 
Suppose  we  set  our  hearts  on  money  ;  misfortune  darts  across  our 
path ;  there  is  the  short-lived  resistance,  the  brief  struggle  soon 
over,  which  the  world  knows  so  well,  and  we  are  beggars  !  Try 
reputation.  In  an  evil  moment  we  may  lose  the  little  we  have 
ever  gained  5  or  those  who  have  never  had  any  of  their  own  may 
steal  ours  away  with  the  tongue  of  slander.     If  to  our  children  we 


HEAVEN.  129 

are  looking  for  our  chiefest  joys,  alas  for  our  hopes !  for  death  may 
carry  them  away  5  or,  worse  than  death,  disgrace  may  count  them 
with  the  living  dead.  Yes,  and  even  grant  us  money,  and  our  fill 
of  it,  or  reputation,  and  the  best  the  world  has,  or  children,  the 
loveliest  and  beloved  of  all ; — is  it  not  true  that  we  have  but  pro- 
vided for  a  few  brief  years,  while  the  great  eternity  has  been 
uncared  for  or  forgotten  ? 

"  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  on  earth"  It  looks  a  little 
stern,  perhaps,  but  it  must  be  right.  After  all,  all  that  a  man  is 
really  worth  is  what  he  has  got  in  heaven.  We  bring  nothing 
into  this  world,  and  it  is  certain  we  shall  carry  nothing  out. 
Therefore  God  says,  Lay  not.  The  Christian  who  does,  suffers. 
There  is  no  gain  in  it.  It  is  done  at  a  terrible  expense,  the 
heart's  desire  in  exchange  for  the  soul's  leanness.  Here  are  two 
ships  coming  up  a  river.  The  first,  full  sail,  cuts  bravely  through 
the  water ;  the  second  creeps  along  towed  by  another.  She 
appears  to  be  on  the  point  of  sinking,  but  still  she  floats.  Why  ? 
Because  she  has  a  cargo  of  timber,  and  has  become  waterlogged. 
Lot  was  all  right  while  he  kept  with  his  uncle  Abraham,  but  when 
he  left  him,  and  got  down  into  Sodom,  he  got  a  good  deal  of  this 
world's  goods,  and  grew  waterlogged.  So  it  is  with  many 
Christians.  They  have  got  waterlogged.  They  have  got  so 
much  money  that  they  cannot  get  into  the  harbour  themselves, 
and  they  require  others  to  help  them  in.  The  religious  life  gets 
sluggish.  The  spiritual  pulse  begins  to  beat  slow.  "  Why  is  it  ?  " 
they  say,  "  that  we  do  not  have  more  spiritual  power,  and  more 
joy  in  the  Lord  ?  "  The  secret  is  easily  found  out.  People  who 
ask  these  questions  have  got  their  treasure  here. 

When  men  go  up  in  balloons  they  take  with  them  bags  of  sand 
for  ballast,  and  when  they  want  to  rise  higher  they  throw  out  some 
of  the  sand.  Now  there  are  some  Christians  who,  before  they 
rise  higher  will  have  to  throw  out  some  ballast.  It  may  be  money, 
or  any  other  worldly  consideration,  but  if  they  wish  to  rise,  they 
must  get  rid  of  it.  If  you  have  got  overloaded,  just  throw  out  a 
little  money,  and  you  will  mount  up  as  on  eagle's  wings.  Any 
minister  will  tell  you  what  to  do  with  it.  I  never  saw  any  depart- 
ment of  the  Lord's  work  that  did  not  want  some  money. 

A  friend  of  mine  called  on  a  wealthy  Illinois  farmer,  to  get  him 

9 


i3o  HEAVEN. 

interested  in  a  soldiers'  mission.  He  took  him  up  on  the  cupola 
of  his  house,  and  said,  "  Look  yonder,  over  that  beautiful  rolling 
prairie,  that  is  all  mine,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  He  took  him 
to  another  view,  and  pointing  over  the  rich  farms  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  showed  him  pasture  land  for  thirty  miles  round,  with  large 
herds  of  cattle,  and  horses,  and  sheep  feeding.  "  They  are  all 
mine,"  he  said j  "  I  have  made  it  all  myself."  Then  he  pointed 
proudly  towards  the  town,  and  showed  him  streets,  and  piles  of 
buildings,  and  a  great  hall  named  after  himself,  and  said  once 
more,  "  They  are  all  mine  j  I  came  here  a  poor  man,  but  my  own 
industry  has  done  it  all." 

My  friend  said  nothing  ;  but  when  he  had  seen  all,  raising  his 
finger,  and  pointing  solemnly  to  the  sky,  "  What,"  he  said,  "  have 
you  got  up  there  ?"  The  rich  man's  countenance  fell.  <l  Where  ?" 
he  asked.  u  In  heaven."  "  I  have  got  nothing  there."  Alas  !  he 
had  lived  his  threescore  years  and  ten,  and  must  soon  enter  eternity, 
yet  he  had  no  treasure  there.  "  Is  it  not  strange,"  said  my  friend, 
u  a  man  of  your  judgment  and  forethought,  making  such  a  wreck 
of  life,  living  for  the  moment,  on  borrowed  time,  to  die  a  beggar, 
and  enter  eternity  a  pauper !  "  But  a  few  months  after  that  he 
died  as  he  had  lived,  and  his  property  went  to  others. 

Oh !  my  friends,  if  there  are  any  of  you  living  for  this  world 
alone,  remember  that  death  will  part  you  and  your  treasures  for 
ever.  Ask  yourself,  I  beseech  you,  what  provision  you  have  made 
for  the  other  life  ?  Is  it  on  that  little  boy' that  your  heart  is  set,  is 
he  your  god,  the  idol  of  your  life?  Or  is  it  your  money,  or  a 
name,  or  dress,  or  a  position  in  society  ?  Then  are  you  disobeying 
the  law  of  Him  who  will  one  day  be  your  Judge.  "  Lay  not  up  for 
yourselves  treasures  on  earth.' 

There  is  another  thought  I  would  like  you  to  look  at.  Our 
rest  is  to  be  in  heaven.  In  Heb.  iv.  9,  we  read,  "  There  remaineth 
therefore  a  rest  to  the  people  of  God."  That  is  another  treasure 
we  are  to  have  in  heaven.  Let  us  not  talk  of  rest  down  here,  we 
have  all  eternity  to  rest  in.  What  we  want  is  to  be  faithful  in  the 
few  months  or  years  that  we  are  here,  and  then  we  shall  rest  as 
eternal  ages  roll  on.  This  is  the  place  for  work,  "  Blessed  are 
the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord,  for  they  do  rest  from  their  labours, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them."     Our  works  shall  follow  us. 


HEAVEN.  131 

We  shall  leave  a  record  behind  us,  if  we  are  only  faithful,  ere  the 
night  comes.  We  can  set  streams  running  here  in  this  dark  world 
that  shall  flow  on  after  we  have  gone  to  heaven. 

Twenty-five  hundred  years  have  passed  since  Daniel  lived,  but 
he  lives  to-day.  His  light  shines  out,  how  brightly,  all  over  Chris- 
tendom !  We  love  to  read  his  life.  How  it  fires  and  cheer  us  as 
we  read  of  him  standing  up  for  God  in  Babylon.  His  works  do 
follow  him. 

A  good  many  people  have  made  a  sad  mistake.  They  think 
the  church  is  a  sort  of  resting-place.  They  unite  with  a  church, 
and  that  is  about  the  last  we  hear  of  them.  They  think  that  a 
good  Christian  has  nothing  more  to  do  than  get  a  good  pew  in  a 
respectable  place  of  worship,  and  all  the  work  after  that  is  to  hear 
two  sermons  a  week. 

But,  my  friends,  let  us  not  think  of  rest  and  pleasure  down 
here.  We  shall  rest  when  Christ  comes,  but  not  until  then.  The 
time  will  come  when  the  wicked  shall  cease  from  troubling,  and 
the  weary  be  at  rest. 

I  heard  of  a  Christian  who  did  not  succeed  in  his  work  so  well 
as  he  used  to,  and  he  got  Home-sick  and  wished  himself  dead. 
One  night  he  dreamed  that  he  had  died,  and  was  carried  by  the 
angels  to  the  eternal  city.  As  he  went  along  the  crystal  pavement 
of  heaven,  he  met  a  man  he  used  to  know,  and  they  went  walking 
down  the  golden  streets  together.  All  at  once  he  noticed  every 
one  looking  in  the  same  direction,  and  saw  One  coming  up  who 
was  fairer  than  the  sons  of  men.  It  was  his  blessed  Redeemer. 
As  the  chariot  came  opposite,  He  came  forth,  and  beckoning  the 
one  friend,  placed  him  in  His  own  chariot-seat,  but  himself  He  led 
aside,  and  pointing  over  the  battlements  of  heaven,  "  Look  over 
yonder,"  He  said,  "  what  do  you  see  ?  "  "  It  seems  as  if  I  see  the 
dark  earth  I  have  come  from."  "  What  else  ?."  "I  see  men  as 
if  they  were  blindfolded,  going  over  a  terrible  precipice  into  a 
bottomless  pit."  "  Well,"  said  He,  "  will  you  remain  up  here, 
and  enjoy  those  mansions  that  I  have  prepared,  or  go  back  to  yon 
dark  earth,  and  warn  these  men,  and  tell  them  about  Me  and  my 
kingdom,  and  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  ? " 
That  man  never  wished  himself  dead  again.  He  yearned  to  live 
as  long  as  ever  he  could,  to  tell  men  of  heaven  and  of  Christ.     And 


132  HEAVEN. 

that  is  what  God  wants  us  to  do.  We  shall  rest  by-and-by ;  we 
shall  have  all  eternity  to  rest  in.  But  the  Church  is  the  place  for 
work,  and  as  soon  as  our  work  is  done  there  will  be  the  voice  calling 
Us,  "  Come  up  hither." 

And  then — for  there  is  still  something  else  in  heaven — we  shall 
get  our  crown.  In  second  Timothy  fourth  and  eight,  "  Henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord, 
the  righteous  Judge  shall  give  me  at  that  day."  There  is  a  crown 
laid  up  for  every  one  of  His  children.  God  has  promised  it.  rt  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 
What  did  Paul  run  for  ?  Salvation  ?  Ten  thousand  times  no ;  he 
got  that  at  the  cross.  That  was  settled  long  ago.  Paul  ran  for  a 
crown.  There  will  be  a  great  many  who  will  get  into  heaven,  but 
they  will  have  no  crown — crownless  Christians.  I  never  touch 
that  life  of  Paul,  and  I  never  hear  his  name  mentioned,  but  it 
makes  me  feel  ashamed  of  myself.  If  I  may  be  allowed  the 
expression,  Satan  got  hold  of  his  match  when  he  got  hold  of  Paul. 
He  never  got  him  off  the  right  track.  He  kept  his  eye  right  on 
Christ,  and  now  he  wears  his  crown.  Paul !  what  are  you  so 
ambitious  for — to  make  a  name  ?  Why  are  you  so  desperately  in 
earnest  ?  "  I  am  for  my  crown,"  says  Paul.  Do  you  hear  what 
they  say  about  you,  "  A  mere  babbler  attempting  to  turn  the  world 
upside  down  ? "  They  have  made  up  their  minds  to  kill  you.  The 
Jews  say  all  manner  of  things  against  you.  u  I  know  it,"  says 
Paul,  "  but  none  of  these  things  move  me." 

Take  your  stand  by  his  side  again.  He  has  received  thirty- 
nine  stripes  j  four  times  has  he  been  beaten,  and  now  he  is  to  be 
beaten  again.  "  Now,  if  you  get  out  of  this  difficulty,  what  will 
you  do,  Paul?"  "Do,"  says  Paul,  "I  do  but  one  thing — press 
towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling."  What  did  he 
care  for  stripes  ?  "You  don't  think,"  he  says,  **  that  these  light 
afflictions  are  going  to  stop  me?  "  Why,  if  we  received  one  stripe 
on  our  backs,  what  a  whining  !  I  do  not  know  how  many  volumes 
of  books  would  be  written  about  it.  We  would  be  called  martyrs. 
Yet  Paul  calls  them  "  these  light  afflictions." 

Take  your  stand  there  again.  This  time  they  have  stoned  him. 
He  is  all  bruised  and  bleeding.  But  the  great  warrior  rises  up  and 
buckles  on  his  armour  again.     What  is  he  going  to  do  ?     "  You 


HEAVEN  133 

have  got  out  of  this,  Paul,  what  are  you  going  to  do  next  ? " 
"Do!"  he  cries  once  more;  "I  do  but  one  thing  —  press 
towards  the  mark  for  the  prize.  I  do  not  want  to  lose  my  crown." 
Therefore  he  never  turns  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  He 
fixes  his  eye  right  on  the  crown.'  "  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  which  cannot  fade." 

Look  at  him  again.  He  goes  to  Macedonia,  and  the  first  thing 
he  gets  in  Philippi  is  the  jail.  If  that  happened  to  any  Christian 
in  the  nineteenth  century  what  an  outcry  there  would  be  !  What 
lamentation  there  would  be  inside  the  prison  !  What  scheming  to 
get  out,  what  claims  for  damages !  But  that  is  not  the  way  this 
old  warrior  looks  at  it.  "  Silas ! "  he  says  at  midnight  j  "  it  is 
time  to  have  our  evening  worship."  And  there,  in  that  prison 
cell,  with  bleeding  backs  and  feet  fast  in  the  stocks,  they  sing  their 
psalm  of  praise.  It  would  be  about  the  last  place  we  should 
think  of  singing  praises  in,  and  if  we  did  sing  it  would  be  some 
melancholy  hymn  !  But  not  so  Paul.  "  If  God  wants  me  to  go 
to  heaven  by  way  of  the  Philippian  prison,"  he  says,  "  it  is  all  the 
same  to  me  j  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad,  Silas.  I  thank  God 
that  I  am  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  for  Jesus'  sake."  And  as 
they  sang  their  praises  to  God,  the  other  prisoners  heard  them  ;  but, 
what  was  far  more  important,  the  Lord  heard  them,  and  the  old 
prison  shook,  their  chains  fell  off,  and  they  were  free  men  !  Talk 
about  Alexander  the  Great  making  the  world  tremble  with  his 
armies.  Here  is  a  little  tent-maker  who  makes  the  world  tremble 
without  any  army ! 

And  then  look  at  the  end  of  his  glorious  life.  He  was  in 
Rome  and  about  to  be  executed.  He  takes  up  his  pen  and  writes 
to  Timothy,  "  The  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand,  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  Thank  God  he  kept  the 
faith !  He  did  not  break  away  and  teach  false  doctrine.  He 
believed  in  the  good  old  gospel  that  Christ  died,  and  that  men 
must  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  if  they  would  be  saved. 
"  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown."  I  should  like  to 
have  been  in  Rome  when  Paul  was  there,  there  was  something 
there  worth  seeing  then.  I  should  like  to  have  seen  him  walking 
down  those  streets.  Rome  never  saw  such  a  conqueror  as  that 
man.     "Paul!    you  are  going  to  execution 5    are  you   not  sorry 


134  HEAVEN 

you  gave  your*life  to  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  You  have  had  to  suffer  so 
much,  stoned,  persecuted,  beaten  with  many  stripes,  in  many 
dangers  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  by  sea  and  land — are  you  not 
sorry  ?  Would  you  give  your  life  to  Christ  if  you  had  it  to  live 
over  again?"  "Yes,"  he  replies, '"if  I  had  ten  thousand  lives 
I  would  willingly  give  them  all  for  His  dear  sake."  He  has 
nothing  to  regret,  nothing  to  be  sorry  for.  "  Sorry  ! "  he  cries  y 
"  I  thank  God  a  thousand  times  a  day  that  I  ever  gave  myself  to 
Him!" 

Look  at  him  as  he  marches  along  to  execution  like  a  conqueror. 
If  you  had  taken  your  stand  by  his  side  you  might  have  heard  him 
whisper,  (t  I  shall  be  absent  from  the  body  and  present  with  the 
Lord  to-night."  He  has  no  worldly  wealth  to  trouble  him — per- 
haps a  few  tools  that  he  used  in  tent-making — but  in  heaven  he 
has  treasures  untold,  and  he  makes  ready  to  go  for  his  crown. 
You  can  see  a  smile  on  his  face  as  he  lays  his  head  on  the  guil- 
lotine, and  his  soul  leaps  into  the  chariot  of  fire  that  stands  by  its 
side.  I  can  imagine  them  watching  for  him  from  the  battlements 
of  heaven,  and  there  is  a  cry  "  Hallelujah  ! "  as  he  sweeps  away  up 
to  the  throne.  And  I  can  hear  the  shout  of  the  Master  as  he 
enters  the  pearly  gates,  "  Well  done,  Paul ;  you  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  you  have  kept  the  faith,  you  have  finished  the  work  that  was 
given  you  to  do ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord  ! "  And  the 
Master  rises  and  plants  the  crown  upon  his  brow,  but  he  takes 
it  and  casts  it  at  the  feet  of  his  Lord. 

Paul  got  his  reward  at  last.  Down  here  it  was  tribulation,  but 
I  have  an  idea  that  he  thanks  God  more  to-day  for  his  afflictions 
than  for  his  prosperity.  John  Bunyan  thanked  God  more  for 
Bedford  Jail  than  for  anything  that  ever  happened  to  him.  And 
Paul,  in  prison,  takes  out  his  pen  and  writes  these  epistles  which 
have  come  down  as  a  blessing  through  the  ages.  The  streams  of 
grace  that  Paul  set  running  are  running  still.  Eighteen  hundred 
years  have  passed  since  He  wrote  these  epistles  to  the  churches, 
but  their  fruits  are  still  going  up  from  every  clime  and  nation. 
And  so  if  things  go  against  us,  let  us  thank  God.  Our  reward  is 
yonder.  I  do  not  believe  a  man  will  be  much  used  of  God  until 
he  is  above  the  thought  of  receiving  reward  from  men.  "  Rejoice 
and  be  exceeding  glad,  for  great  is   your  reward  in  heave*-"     If 


HEAVEN,  135 

God  calls  it  "great"  it  must  be  something  worth  having,  therefore 
let  us  not  spoil  it  by  seeking  the  world's  honours. 

Not  long  ago  there  lived  an  old  bed-ridden  saint,  and  a 
Christian  lady  who  visited  her  found  her  always  very  cheerful. 
This  visitor  had  a  lady  friend  of  wealth  who  constantly  looked  on 
:he  dark  side  of  things,  and  was  always  cast  down  although  she  was 
a  professed  Christian.  She  thought  it  would  do  this  lady  good  to 
see  the  bed-ridden  saint,  so  she  took  her  down  to  the  house.  She 
lived  up  in  the  garret,  five  stories  up,  and  when  they  had  got  to  the 
first  story  the  lady  drew  up  her  dress  and  said,  "  How  dark  and 
filthy  it  is  !  "  "  It's  better  higher  up,"  said  her  friend.  They  got 
to  the  next  story,  and  it  was  no  better ;  the  lady  complained  again, 
but  her  friend  replied,  "  It's  better  higher  up."  At  the  third  floor 
it  seemed  still  worse,  and  the  lady  kept  complaining,  but  her 
friend  kept  saying,  "It's  better  higher  up."  At  last  they  got  to 
the  fifth  story,  and  when  they  went  into  the  sick-room,  there  was 
a  nice  carpet  on  the  floor,  there  were  flowering  plants  in  the 
window,  and  little  birds  singing.  And  there  they  found  this  bed- 
ridden saint — one  of  those  ..saints  whom  God  is  polishing  for  his 
own  temple — just  beaming  with  joy.  The  lady  said  to  her  "  It 
must  be  very  hard  for  you  to  lie  here."  She  smiled,  and  said, 
"It's  better  higher  up."  Yes!  And  if  things  go  against  us,  my 
friends,  let  us  remember  that  "  it's  better  higher  up." 

I  was  going  to  New  Orleans  from  Chicago  a  few  years  ago, 
and  there  were  two  ladies  in  the  train  with  me.  They  got  well 
acquainted  with  one  another  by  the  time  they  reached  Cairo,  where 
one  lived,  the  other  was  going  on  to  New  Orleans.  The  one  who 
had  to  get  out  at  Cairo  said  to  the  other,  "  I  wish  you  would  stay 
here  with  me  for  a  few  days,  I  like  your  company  so  much."  "  I 
should  like  to  stay,"  replied  the  other,  "  but  my  things  are  all  packed 
up  and  have  gone  on  before ;  I  have  no  clothes  but  those  I  am 
wearing.  They  are  good  enough  to  travel  in,  but  I  would  not  like 
to  be  seen  in  company  with  them."  Now  that  is  the  way  with 
the  Christian.  He  is  away  from  home  here,  his  treasure  has  gone 
on  before,  and  anything  is  good  enough  to  travel  in.  If  things  don't  go 
on  smoothly  down  here  we  need  not  be  too  particular,  they're  good 
enough  to  travel  in.  If  our  treasures  are  in  heaven  our  hearts  will  be 
there,,  and  we  shall  be  living  as  pilgrims  and  strangers  on  the  earth. 


136  HEAVEN. 

One  thought  more.  What  occasions  joy  in  heaven  ?  If  Queen 
Victoria  should  leave  her  throne  to-day,  what  intense  excitement 
'"  e  would  be  !  Queen  Victoria  leaving  the  throne  !  It  would 
Sc  the  nations  of  the  earth.  The  whole  world  would  know  about 
it.  But  I  do  not  know  that  it  would  be  noticed  in  heaven.  But 
if  there  was  one  little  boy  down  here  converted  to-day,  it  would 
be  noticed  in  heaven.  Jesus  Christ  said,  "There  is  joy  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  repenteth." 

My  little  boy,  don't  you  want  to  become  a  lamb,  for  the 
Shepherd  to  watch  over  and  care  for  ?  My  little  girl,  don't  you 
want  to  become  a  daughter  of  heaven,  a  follower  of  Christ  ? 

It  may  be  that  at  this  moment  every  battlement  of  heaven  is 
alive  with  the  redeemed.  There  is  a  sainted  mother  watching  for 
her  daughter.  Daughter  !  can  yoa  not  see  her  ?  She  is  beckon- 
ing you  now  to  the  better  land.  Have  you  no  response  to  that 
long-hushed  voice  which  has  prayed  for  you  so  often  ?  And  for 
you,  young  man,  are  there  no  voices  there  which  prayed  for  you  ? 
and  are  there  none  whom  you  promised  once  to  meet  again,  if  not 
on  earth,  in  heaven  ?  And  which  of  you,  fathers  and  mothers,  but 
can  hear  in  the  angels'  chorus  the  music  of  the  little  ones  you  loved, 
and  who  have  winged  their  way  to  be  in  glory  for  ever  with  the 
Lord  ?  Oh  !  shall  we  not  all  just  turn  our  backs  upon  the  world, 
and  fall  on  our  knees,  and  ask  God  for  Christ's  sake  to  write  down 
our  name  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  so  that  we  and  those  we  love 
may  live  for  ever  with  the  Lord ! 

OF  THK 

UNIVERSITY 

CALIFO^ 
SE    END. 


V* 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY— TEL.  NO.  642-3405 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


flfrflto  m  5 


1IOA 


IHTERUBRARY  LOAg?,? 


'■  _ 


i...:       .    . 


DEC  H  1972 


DZC  \  4  ^79  re 


^fft-UB**** 


low* 


MARIS  1988 


m     '"  W0I1988 


i 


m  i    wq 


■CIRC.   DEO  Q21994 


LD21A-60m-3,'70 
(N5382sl0)476-A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


YB  29375 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


II 


CDDbD5Mc13l3 


